Then
by Zombielibrarian
Summary: "Gonna have to face the music sooner or later" Shane whispered into Beth's ear. Beth grunted in response. "Sooner the better considerin the circumstances" he added. Beth snuggled into Shane's torso. "I know" came her reply. Shane and Beth take on the world - living life, raising babies, facing troubles together. The man Shane could have become if it weren't for those darn zombies.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the TWD characters. Yes, I went MIA for a while and so did all of my work. My plans are to do quite a bit of revision on some of them – you may or may not see the improved versions in the future. In the meantime, I've had Shane Walsh on my mind lately. He was, after all, my first TWD crush. Looking back on the whole Rick/Lori/Shane thing I think things went the only way they could've gone for Shane. In a non-walker world though, Shane could have been a terrific husband, an amazing dad, and an all-around fantastic man. In my world anyway. Hope you enjoy, and if Shane and Beth aren't your thing, move on and don't bring the rest of us down.

 **Then**

It was the day before Thanksgiving. The older Shane got, the faster holidays seemed to come around. He wasn't complaining – hell, he loved any opportunity to see his children. He'd often been warned about time flying once you hit a certain age.

Shane and Beth were waiting for their youngest daughter and her family to arrive. Shane stood leaning over the porch railing and staring out into the marsh of Wilmington Island. Beth was humming and rocking their youngest grandbaby trying to soothe the little one who apparently had chosen this visit to start cutting her two year molars.

The tune Beth hummed sounded familiar to Shane and he couldn't help but turn to take in the scene. Shane listened a few more seconds and recognized the song as Brad Paisley's Then. Beth had always been a huge country music fan – Shane more a classic rock kind of guy. They made it work though. If interracial couples could do it, then hell fire, musical genre mixed couples could too. When Shane turned to look behind him, the picture that greeted him nearly took his breathe away. His wife was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. Beth had begun quietly singing the words at this point while the toddler rubbed at the blanket she and Beth were wrapped in.

 **I remember, trying not to stare, the night that I first met you, you had me mesmerized. And three weeks later, in the front porch light, taking forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight. I hadn't told you yet, but I thought I loved you then.**

Shane remembered back to that hot summer night at Lucy's Diner back in Senoia. Of course, Shane had known Beth for a very long time. He'd played summer ball, little league, and then high school baseball with her brother. But that night, at the diner, at a graduation celebration of sorts, he met the woman – Beth Greene. The Beth Greene that would change his life forever.

 **And now you're my whole life. Now you're my whole world. I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl. Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been. We've come so far since that day. And I thought I loved you then.**

And boy had they been through it. Ups and downs, the storms of life – real, actual meteorological events and emotional storms. Illness – his, hers, and the kids', injuries – mostly his, Catholic school tuition payments and uniforms, daycare, ballgames, teenage daughters dating, a teenage son driving for the first time, broken hearts - they'd been through it all and still lived to tell about it. Shane realized that all of the really, really hard and ugly things they'd endured together had made him appreciate the good times all the more. The rough times had made them stronger than any other couple he knew of. An unplanned pregnancy and a shotgun wedding usually wasn't a good indicator of a solid relationship. Shane smirked to himself when he realized that he and Beth had proved them all wrong. Rick, Daryl, Hershel, Maggie – all of them. None of them thought they'd survive the first year. Hell, they almost didn't. Every wedding anniversary was reason to celebrate, that's for sure.

 **And I remember, taking you back to right where I first met you, you were so surprised. There were people around, but I didn't care. I got down on one knee right there and once again, I thought I loved you then.**

The getting married part didn't come as a surprise to her since Shane had gotten her in the family way. Shane believed Hershel's actual words were "you're both adults – I'm certain ya can figure out what to do from here". To say that Hershel Greene was fit to be tied was an understatement. Shane, however, was determined to give Beth exactly what she wanted. He knew his girl and he knew that she still wanted that engagement and the excitement of a big church wedding. He would always give Beth Greene exactly what she wanted. Always.

 **And I can just see you, with a baby on the way.**

Oh, and she was the prettiest momma to be there ever was. It didn't take long for her to blossom at all being that she was such a tiny thing to begin with. That fact really put the wedding plans in fast forward. Beth inhaled any and every morsel of food that wasn't on someone else's plate. Sometimes it didn't matter if it was on someone else's plate. Shane snorted when he remembered her asking many times "ya gonna finish that". And damn, if she wasn't cute as shit putting away all that food.

 **And I can just see you, when your hair is turning gray.**

Uhm, no. That's not gonna happen. He's got gray in his hair, but Beth Greene Walsh does not. Shane loves Beth more than life itself but he knows that as long as she has access to some of the best hairdressers in the south, he'll never see her hair turning gray. Not. Gonna. Happen. And that's okay. Even Beth will admit that she is the vainest and most high maintenance person she knows.

Shane's thoughts are drifting all over the place. He glances at his watch and he wonders where the youngest child is and why she's running late. Before he can voice his concern, Preston, their oldest and only boy, steps onto the porch to check on his baby girl.

"Maisey Jo just texted" Preston informed his Daddy. "They just hit the other side of the Savannah city limits."

Shane nodded at his first born. "Good" Shane breathed out. "Wondered what was keepin em."

"Yeh, well" Preston answered. "Dan wouldn't let her drive this time. Said he couldn't afford anymore speedin tickets."

Shane knew exactly where Margaret Jo Ann got that tendency from – Beth Ann Greene. No denying that fact.

"Want me to take her Momma?" Preston asks Beth. "I can put her down for a nap."

"No way" Beth swats at him. "I've got it under control. Don't I Audrey?" she asks the toddler. The curly haired baby continues to suck her thumb and nods her head.

Preston laughs. "Okay" he concedes defeat. "Bring her in if ya need to."

"Mmmhmmm" Beth says non committedly.

The younger Walsh man goes back into the house allowing the screen door to slam behind him.

"Don't slam the door" Beth yells at him after she covers Audrey's ears. The little girl grins knowing that her daddy can still get in trouble.

Beth glances up at Shane and sings the chorus one last time.

 **And now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world. I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl. We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in and I'll look at you and say, and I thought I loved you then. And I thought I loved you then.**

"Love you" she tells the little girl in her lap as she kisses the top of her curly mane – another Beth Greene trait. Shane smiles at Beth.

"Love you too" Beth tells Shane.

"Girl" Shane sighs "I thought I loved you then."

This is one of those stories that's beginning at the end. Next chapter will be Shane "meeting" Beth. Lyrics are from Brad Paisley's Then.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own any of the TWD characters. This is where it all began – our Shane and Beth story. Thank you for reading.**

 **Lucy's All Right Diner**

Lucy's All Right Diner. No one quite knew if someone made a mistake with the sign – like should it have read, Lucy's _All Night_ Diner?

Or, was it supposed to mean that your order would always be correct?

Or, did it mean that the food was nothing outstanding, it was just alright?

No one in their small town really knew what the original owner intended when he'd named the diner. Regardless of the intent, the hometown greasy spoon was now owned and operated by none other than Dale Horvath and Carol Peletier Dixon. And, for the record, it was more than just alright – it was some of the best damn country cooking in the whole state of Georgia.

Carol had waitressed there for as long as anyone could remember. She saved every tip she could so that someday she, and her precious little girl could break free from her no account drunk of a husband. A bar room brawl sped that process up though when Merle Dixon beat the son of a bitch to death in the parking lot of the Drunk Skunk Bar and Tavern. The elder Dixon brother was sure he'd wind up in prison for it, but he really didn't give a shit. He'd rather be locked up than to know that Carol and Sophia had to suffer one more night with that abusive s.o.b. Fortunately, for everyone involved, the case was ruled as "self-defense" and the rest of that story, as they say, is history.

Speaking of history, every Thursday night, in the entire history of Thursday nights it seemed the Green family had dinner at Lucy's. Back when Shawn and Maggie were still in high school and Beth Greene was just a little bitty thing it was so Hershel's dear wife, Annette, could have a night out of the kitchen. Now when Shawn was playing football and baseball, the invitation was extended to include his friends who may or may not have had access to a decent meal. Daryl didn't have anyone at home to cook for him and neither did Rick. Shane's mom would have cooked for him, but he'd much rather eat out with the guys than at home. Even after Shawn joined the army and moved away the three guys would sporadically show for supper. Daryl and Rick more so than Shane because Shane was always out trying to make the moves on loose women. On occasion, Rick and Daryl might even bring a date. Hershel didn't mind - being surrounded by his children's friends gave him something to look forward to each week.

Once Maggie graduated high school and left for college, it would usually just be Hershel, Annette, and Beth. Beth, a middle schooler now, still looked forward to Thursday night because she knew she could always talk her daddy into springing for the hot fudge sundae for dessert – every Thursday. You also just never knew when Maggie would show up with the latest guy that they all just had to meet. _He's the one_ she'd say with each different fellow she drug to the small town. Hershel and Beth had an ongoing bet about what type of loser she'd bring for chicken and dumplings next. Hipster? Dumb jock? Business man wannabe? Annette would fuss at them and tell them not to tease Maggie – that at least she was being proactive. Beth wondered what the hell that meant, but then just continued with the secret wager making behind her sister's back and enjoying those weekly ice cream desserts.

The summer after Maggie's freshman year away at college, her stepmother became ill – very ill. Annette Greene did an amazing job of taking care of her entire family and then some. What she didn't do was take the time to tend to her own needs. Extreme high blood pressure left unattended will take its toll – they don't call it the silent killer for nothing. Annette Green suffered a stroke that no one saw coming and she just couldn't recover from it. Maggie made the trip home to grieve along with the rest of Senoia in October of the same year.

After that, Hershel didn't want to visit the diner much anymore. He didn't really want to do anything except partake of his meals in the liquid form. Now Beth Greene was still a tiny thing and young – just now entering the seventh grade. However, she was old enough to know though that she was going to lose her Daddy too if he didn't let go of the bottle. That was when Beth Greene put her size 5 foot down.

"Daddy" she began in her sweetest voice.

"Whatcha need sugar lump?" he asked wearily.

"It's sure been a while since I had a hot fudge sundae" Beth stated innocently.

There was no response from her Dad.

"It's Thursday" she pointed out to her dad.

"I know what day it is" he sternly told his daughter.

"Well, then ya know we're 'posed to eat at Lucy's tonight" Beth replied.

"Not goin to Lucy's anymore Beth" he said. "Just go on and get that outta ya head."

"Daddy" Beth stomped her foot. She was scared to talk back to her Daddy, but she knew it was for a good reason. She tried to channel her inner Maggie. "I'm hungry, it's Thursday, and I ain't had a hot fudge Sundae in a blue moon." Beth had now placed her hands on her nearly nonexistent hips. "Now, go get a shower" she added.

Fire flashed in her Daddy's eyes. This was it. Her daddy was going to tan her hide for sure.

Beth held her breathe. She was certain that she'd get her tail busted. To her surprise, Hershel stood and walked upstairs. Shortly after, Beth heard the water turn on and it was only then that she breathed out. The remainder of Beth's middle school and high school years, it was usually just the two of them in that big ole booth. Others still dropped in on them now and again, Merle and Daryl especially. Rick would stop by for coffee when he needed some advising in the area of putting up with women and their confounded ways (his words, not Hershel's).

Maggie surprised everyone when she showed up one night with a fresh faced guy who looked as jittery as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Glen, that was this guy's name, delivered pizzas and was finishing up a degree in some kind of high tech computer voodoo that Hershel didn't even pretend to try and understand.

Glen was nice. Beth liked him. He was sweet, soft spoken, and seemed to think that Margaret Josephine Greene hung the moon. Hershel didn't know what to think. He thought Maggie might be jerking his chain. This young man was, indeed, the nicest one she'd brought home. Hershel didn't want to get his hopes up. Eventually, Maggie ended up marrying Glen and that kept Hershel on cloud nine for a very long time.

As kids are apt to do, Beth grew up. She'd graduated from high school and was headed further south into the great state of Georgia. The girl was going to major in pre pharmacy. It seems she'd made good use of her time in high school and had already earned two years' worth of college credit. Beth Greene would be entering college as a junior. Hershel was grateful for that considering he had four more years of college to pay for that he really hadn't planned on. After that, Thursday night became men's night in the booth. Merle, Daryl, and Hershel would meet for supper and shoot the shit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was one of the first Thursday nights of summer and just like clockwork Merle Dixon and Hershel Greene met up at "the booth". They shook hands and did that half hug thing that men do when they greet each other.

"Hey Hershel" Merle said in that gravelly voice of his. "Had a good week?"

"Hershel's eyes twinkled. "It's bout to get better – Bethie's on her way."

Merle smiled. "Yeh, Carol showed me the cake they got ready for her. I know ya sure are proud and happy to have her home for a little while."

"Just wish she didn't have to leave so soon – ya know?" Hershel pondered.

"Yeh" Merle agreed. "Everybody gonna be able to make it?" Merle asked the older man.

Hershel nodded. "Yeh."

Well, everyone except Annette, and Shawn. That went without saying though so Hershel tried to not think about that too much.

"I told Bethie we could do something big and fancy to celebrate, but she wouldn't hear of it. Said she hadn't had a hot fudge sundae in a blue moon." Hershel laughed and a tear slipped down his cheek. That girl of his saved his life way back when.

It wasn't long before the rest of the crew started rolling in. Daryl and Rick came in quickly followed by Maggie and Glen. Maggie gave her daddy a hug and Glen shook the older man's hand before being pulled into a headlock from Merle. Glen looked as if he might shit his pants. Carol and Sophia joined the group and everyone made a fuss over Sophia causing the young girl to blush terribly.

"When's Miss Priss gettin here?" Daryl asked. No one had to ask who he was talking about. Everyone knew. Daryl had taken over big brother picking on baby sister rights when Shawn had passed.

Hershel looked at his watch. "Any time now I reckon."

Glen snorted. "When she finds something to wear."

"Or" Maggie laughed and added, "When she gets that hair of hers under control."

"Now Maggie" Carol said softly. "Beth always looks lovely."

"Hell I know" Maggie said gruffly. "She can fall out of bed and look lovely – pisses me off."

"Margaret" Hershel warned. Even though Maggie was approaching her upper twenty's her Daddy still did his best to try and keep her in line.

Everybody laughed and chuckled because Beth was widely known for never being on time, forever worrying about her outfits, and always having a head of hair that looked as if she'd just stuck her finger in a socket.

A dark haired guy approached the table. Hershel thought he looked familiar but he wasn't sure. "Hey, heard I could get a free supper if I showed up here tonight" the guy laughed.

"Shane Walsh?" Hershel asked and then reached for the young man as he stood up from the booth. It had been years since he'd seen Shane. "Where in the world have you been?"

"Oh, been down 'round Savannah" he drawled. "Might move on closer to home though – not sure yet." He pulled Rick into a hug. "Rick's got me an interview set up for the sheriff's department next week. If it goes well, I'm comin home."

"Well, that's good to know" Hershel patted Shane on the back. "Be good to have a new face at the Thursday night supper."

As if on cue, a little spitfire of a woman rounded the corner like something was after her. Her cowboy boots clomped delicately on the tiled floor of the diner. All heads turned to see Beth Greene arrive for supper – and only forty five minutes late.

"Hey guys" she smiled. "Hope ya hadn't been waitin long."

Shane tried not to stare. He really did. This girl though, no this young woman, she made it damn near impossible not to stare. Her bright smile, the bubbly laugh, that beautiful mess of a head of hair – she had cast a spell on Shane and was too damn innocent to even know it. This girl was mesmerizing.

Maggie rolled her eyes. Glen smiled and hugged his sister in-law. "Heck no – we're all just getting here ourselves." No one attempted to correct him. Pleasantries and greetings were exchanged. Beth said hi to everyone and told them she had been looking forward to seeing them all, she'd missed them so. Shane could tell that Beth genuinely meant every word she said – she wasn't "puttin on".

Rick pulled Beth in for a quick hug. "Beth, ya might not remember Shane" he pointed to the man standing next to him. Shane dipped his chin in a greeting to Beth. Beth's baby blues locked with Shane's chocolate brown eyes. Rick continued, "He used to play ball with your brother Shawn. Got your brother into quite a bit of trouble back in the day."

Beth smiled, a little sadly, but it was a smile of sorts. She held out her delicate hand to grasp Shane's much larger hand to greet him. Instead, Shane took her hand straight to his mouth and placed a sweet kiss on top. "Beth Greene, a pleasure to meet you. And for the record, Shawn is the one who got the rest of us in trouble."

Shane had been nervous as hell about kissing her hand. He didn't want to come across as some Redneck Casanova, but Beth's sad smile that morphed into a full on "I've been swept off my feet smile" made him realize that the gamble had been worth it.

As everyone stood there awkwardly, not sure of what had just happened, Merle cleared his throat and congratulated Beth on graduating. Sophia presented her with a small box and a card. Beth squealed because heck fire, she sure did like gifts.

Shane sure wished he'd had a heads up on the reason for tonight's gathering so that he could've had a gift.

"Happy graduation" Sophia told her. "It's from me and momma and daddy."

"Me too" Daryl interjected. "Ya put my name on that card like I told ya?" he asked Sophia.

"And Uncle Daryl" Sophia added looking worried because she hadn't put her Uncle Daryl's name on there. Everyone laughed. Beth ripped open the silver paper quickly so that she could get to what she could only hope was some kind of jewelry. A pair of pearl stud earrings in a purple velvet box met with her great approval.

"Oh my goodness" Beth sighed. "They're beautiful" she said. "They really are. Thank ya'll so much." She hugged Sophia and Carol, then placed a quick peck on Merle's cheek and then Daryl's. Daryl rubbed at his face to show his disgust but Beth was unfazed by it.

"I's just kiddin" Daryl pulled a card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her. "I knew I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't get ya something."

Beth bounced up and down knowing that the card had to have cash in it or something of equal value. Surely, even Daryl Dixon knew not to give just a card for such a momentous occasion. Beth opened the envelope, pulled the card out and read it. Her eyes began to glisten when she read the slanted writing that said "Shawn would be so proud of you. I know I am." Then Beth held up the little plastic rectangle and squealed out loud again. After looking at the amount she softly said to Daryl. "This is too much."

Daryl blushed and shook his head. "Naw it ain't – ya worked hard. Know ya like to shop – ya deserve it" Again, Beth was kissing his cheek. This time Daryl didn't try to act offended

Rick smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. "Lori's bringin your gift when she and Carl get here PipSqueak."

"Goody!" Beth said. "I know I should probably say it's okay, ya don't have to get me anything. But, goody is really how I feel."

Shane thought he may have actually laughed out loud at her comment. _Who in the world is that fuckin honest_ he thought to himself.

The waitress had brought out everyone's standing order for drinks. She looked Shane up and down, nearly licking her lips. "Honey, what would ya like ta drink?"

"Oh, I'll take sweet tea if ya got it" he answered.

"If I didn't, I'd go brew some for ya right quick" she smiled at him. Shane, on the other hand, stood there like a moron with his mouth hanging open, staring at Beth. She had been a tiny thing when he'd left King's County – probably in middle school. She weren't no middle schooler anymore that was for damn sure.

Beth felt a wave of jealousy overtake her. Why she had no earthly idea – why should she care if the waitress had the hots for this obviously sexy ass hunk of a man?

"Hey man" Rick whispered to Shane once Beth's attention was focused somewhere else, "close your mouth, your gonna catch a fly."

"Huh?" Shane said. "What?" Shane then realized how it must have looked. "I can't help it man. I just" Shane paused for a moment but couldn't come up with any words at the moment to express what he was feeling. "I just can't help it."

Rick smiled knowingly at Shane. "Something else ain't she?"

"Fuck" Shane muttered under his breath. "Yes sir she is."

Shane had snagged himself a seat directly across from Beth and no one could deny that he was already smitten – he hardly took his eyes from her the entire evening. Beth was caught several times with her gaze drifting to the dark haired guy who she'd been told was one of Shawn's buddies. Beth somewhat remembered him, but it had been a really long time since she'd seen Shane. She remembered that she always took great pleasure in bugging the hell out of Shawn and his friends. She did everything in her power to get noticed by them and she loved telling on them – even when they really hadn't done anything to her.

Heck, this was turning out to be quite the graduation celebration after all. Lori and Carl arrived just in time for dessert and had brought Beth a monogrammed over the shoulder bag that Rick explained was for "carrying all that crap graduate students had to carry around." Beth giggled at his explanation.

The cake was amazing and Beth almost didn't want them to cut it – almost. She did love a good cake with buttercream frosting though. So, cut it they did. And of course, Carol had them bring out the ice cream sundaes as well.

"Oh, Daryl" Beth piped up. Lori pointed at her own lips to let Beth know that she had hot fudge all over hers. Beth swiped at her mouth with a napkin. Shane thought it was cute as hell. "My car's makin a funny noise."

Daryl sighed. "Beth" he said "Did ya run over something again?"

"Naw, don't reckon" she said thoughtfully. "Don't remember it if I did. Anyway" she started again. "It sounds like this. Errrrrr, clunk, clunk, clunk. Errrrrr, clunk, clunk, clunk." She started to make another series of the noises until Daryl held his hand up.

"Stop" Daryl told her. "Just stop. I'll drive it home tonight."

"Kay" she smiled, completely oblivious to everyone around her laughing at her automotive plight. Hershel was just grateful that Daryl could keep the thing running. Merle kept the dings knocked out of it and replaced head lights when she ran things over and Daryl kept the engine going. Thank God for the Dixon boys.

Dessert was over and everyone began dispersing to go about their business. Before Shane knew it, nearly everyone was gone. Only Hershel, Beth, and he remained. Daryl had just left with Beth's car.

"Well, I've got to get goin" Hershel had already settled the hefty tab – in his opinion though, it was a small price to pay to have all of his family together. "I'm meeting a lady friend for a movie."

Beth gasped. "Daddy, how am I gonna get home?" Beth already knew that Hershel had plans afterword. He'd told her all about it but he had forgotten that he'd told her all about it.

"Oh" Hershel hadn't counted on Beth needed transportation. "Well" he scratched his head as he tried to figure out a solution.

"I can make sure she gets home" Shane offered. Beth's eyes snapped to Shane's and he thought he detected a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"Well, I'd sure appreciate it" Hershel told him. "I can't keep Irene waitin too long on me." Hershel chuckled and Beth continued staring at Shane.

Shane helped Beth out of the booth and they walked to his Jeep together. He made sure to walk her to the passenger side, open the door, and get her safely inside before crossing to get into the driver's seat. _Stay cool, stay cool, stay cool_ he shouted at himself in his own head. He turned the key in the ignition and as he backed out of the parking space Beth turned to him and said, "I don't think I'm quite ready to go home yet." Her lips were slightly up turned.

Shane smirked back. "I don't think I'm quite ready to take you home yet."

Beth's phone rang. She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was Daryl.

 **What?** Beth answered.

 **Ain't nothin wrong with your car.** Daryl told her.

 **I know.** Beth smiled at Shane who was smiling back at her. She acted as if there wasn't an angry redneck on the other end of the phone line.

 **You know?** Daryl asked, not the least bit surprised by anything she did. **Then why the hell do I have it trying to find out why it's making noise?**

 **I gotta go.** Beth disconnected.

.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any of the TWD characters. Just a heads up – there will be smut in future chapters. Not this one, but it's coming – fair warning.

 **The Interview**

Beth finally arrived back at her Daddy's house around two the next morning – and it wasn't because she was ready to go home or that Shane was ready to take her home. God, all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and just hold on to her forever. However, he had told Hershel that Beth would be delivered home safely and that's what he intended to do. After pulling up the long gravel drive and walking Beth to the porch, they stood there for a good while just hugging and kissing.

"I had a good time" Beth told him.

"Mmmmhmmmm, me too" Shane agreed and then pulled her face to him for another deep kiss. "I gotta go sweetheart or I'm not gonna wanta leave."

Beth smiled and laughed softly. "Will I see ya tomorrow?"

"Just try and keep me away" Shane responded.

"Night" Beth told him and then she went in for one more kiss.

Shane kissed her with all he had. "Night Beth." When she turned to open the front door, Shane gave her a gentle nudge into the house. He couldn't bear to say goodbye to her one more time.

He jogged back to the Jeep, hopped in and high-tailed it back to town. He was staying with Rick and Lori while he was visiting. He was dog tired as he'd driven in from Savannah earlier in the day – he'd been up going on twenty-four hours now, but somehow Shane knew, he wasn't going to get much sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mornin Sleepy Head" Hershel told the person attached to a bird's nest of hair stumblin down the steps.

"Mmmm" Beth grunted back.

"Not that ya could really classify this as mornin" Hershel continued as he looked over the newspaper at his youngest child. "Ya have a late night?"

"Uhhuh" she grunted back and made her way into the kitchen.

It didn't take her long to find the Fruity Peebles. Beth poured some into the bowl and then added a few splashes of milk – she didn't like much milk in her cereal. The excess milk made the cereal get soggy too quickly and she despised the thought of drinking the milk after all the cereal was gone. The very idea turned her stomach.

Hershel limped into the kitchen to try and get some conversation out of his daughter. "Ya meet up with some friends last night?"

Beth dropped the spoon into the bowl and stared at her dad, unsure as to how to proceed from there. Shane was an old friend wasn't he? An old friend of the family, not necessarily an old friend of hers. Yeh, Shane could be considered an old friend. He was older than she and he was a friend she reasoned.

"Yeh, we went country ridin" Beth told her dad. That was a true statement. Country riding. And then parking in some farmer's tobacco patch. A knock at the door kept Hershel from continuing the conversation. Beth blew out a sigh of relief. Hershel returned to the kitchen just as Beth was putting her bowl in the sink.

"Well, young lady" he said. "Lookey here, someone sent flowers."

Beth spun around so quickly she nearly toppled over. "Flowers?" she gasped. "For me?" Beth adored flowers – she adored them. Beth slid across the kitchen floor in her sock feet to take the arrangement from her father. Quickly, she pulled the card from the tiny little envelope attached. She couldn't control the smile that overtook her face.

 **You are amazing – can't wait to see you tonight! SW**

Beth stood there reading the note card over and over. She'd forgotten her dad was still in the same room with her.

"Well, who sent the flowers?" Hershel finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh" Beth snapped to attention. There was no way she could lie about the flowers. There was really no reason to lie about the flowers. "Shane" Beth answered in a barely controlled voice. "Shane sent them – for my graduation. I guess he felt kinda weird for not havin a gift or something for me last night." Then she shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal.

Oh, but it was a big deal. A very big deal indeed.

"That was awfully nice of him" Hershel ventured cautiously. "But certainly not necessary."

"But it was very thoughtful" Beth added.

"Yes" Hershel agreed with a strange nod of his head. "I'm runnin to town – need to pick up some things from Tractor Supply. Want to ride along?"

"Yeh, can I have fifteen minutes?" Beth asked. She kept smelling the beautiful fresh cut flowers still clutched in her hands.

"Ya mean an actual fifteen minutes, or a Beth Greene fifteen minutes?" Hershel asked in all seriousness.

"A real fifteen minutes" Beth answered as if she didn't have any idea what he was talking about.

"Be quick" he told her. "I'll be out on the porch."

"Kay" Beth told him and she raced upstairs, flowers in hand. The first thing she did was call Shane. Her hands trembled as she pushed the call button.

"Hey Girl" Shane's deep voice came from the other side.

"Hey" she answered breathlessly. "I just got the nicest surprise."

"Ya did?" he asked teasingly. "And what would that be?"

"This very sexy beast of a man sent beautiful flowers to me" Beth responded. "I love flowers" she whispered.

"Who sent you flowers?" Shane asked as if her were angry. "Somebody tryin to horn in on my girl?"

"Thank you Shane, they're beautiful" Beth told him. "They've absolutely made my day – and I've only been up for thirty minutes."

"You're welcome sweetheart" Shane answered. "Ya made my night."

That's when her Daddy started screaming from downstairs. "Bethie, I'm leaving in five! Get your rear end in gear!"

"Yes sir" she yelled back down.

"I gotta go – Daddy wants me to go run errands with him" Beth said.

"What time ya want me to come get ya tonight?" Shane asked.

"I'll be ready whenever ya tell me to be ready" Beth said.

"I'll be there at 7:00 then" Shane told her.

"Kay" Beth replied. "I'll be ready."

Beth spent the afternoon with her dad wondering how she was going to let him know that she had a date with Shane. Yes, that is what you'd call tonight – a date. It is most definitely a date.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane was there at seven o'clock – sharp. Beth came down the stairs at 7:30. Hershel looked at his pocket watch and Shane looked at Beth standing at the bottom of the staircase.

"Well, that ain't too bad – ya just had to wait half an hour" Hershel slapped Shane on the back. "Ain't bad at all."

"Worth the wait" Shane mumbled. He had yet to take his eyes off of Beth.

Once they were situated in the vehicle, Shane couldn't wait any longer. He pulled Beth across the seat so that he could kiss her properly. "I missed ya so damn much" he confessed.

Beth smiled. "I thought about you all day."

"Mmmm" Shane hummed into Beth's mouth. "God, you taste so fuckin good."

"I love kissin you" Beth told him. Shane pulled away to look at her, but Beth pulled him back in for another kiss. "You're such a good kisser."

"I'm good at lots of stuff" Shane teased.

"Me too" Beth teased back. "I would like to eat first though before I show you any of those things I'm good at."

Shane laughed out loud. "Steak okay?" Shane asked. "I hadn't had a good steak in forever and I heard Landon's is the best."

"It is very good" Beth agreed "and yes, steak sounds great!"

Shane ordered wine with their dinner and soon learned a secret about Beth Greene. If you ever want to get her to talk, give the girl a glass of wine. She was bubbly enough to begin with, but damn, she did not stop talking the entire night. Well, she didn't talk when Shane was kissing her. She tried, but his tongue down her throat made it difficult to understand what she was saying.

They learned a lot about each other, but Shane found that the more he learned the more he wanted to know. Something else Shane had quickly learned was that Beth was a big believer in dessert.

They'd just placed a slice of New York style cheesecake in front of Beth – a one pound slice to be exact. Shane's eyes grew wide wondering how on earth she was going to eat all of it. The waiter asked Shane if he wanted another fork. Imagine, the bewildered expression on the waiter's face when Beth let him know very quickly that she was not, under any circumstances sharing her cheesecake.

"Can I have just one bite?" Shane finally begged. "My pie wasn't exactly what I wanted."

"Then I guess you'll know what not to order next time" Beth told him. There was a standoff of sorts, but Beth finally gave in and allowed Shane to help her finish the cheesecake.

"It's kind of weird that just when I'm movin to Savannah, you're leavin there to come back home" Beth stated.

The fork in Shane's hand stopped in midair. "What?" he said. "You're movin to Savannah? When? Why?" He felt as if the air had been knocked out of him.

"Oh, I thought you knew" she answered. "I'm going to pharmacy school at South University – I start in the fall."

Shane didn't know how to respond. "I just figured you'd be stickin closer to home."

"Well, I kinda want ta get away from home" Beth told him. "I like visitin, but I don't think I want to be here all the time. I've gotten used to not bein here. Ya know?"

"Oh" Shane responded. Suddenly, he wasn't interested in the rest of Beth's cheesecake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane and Beth spent the remainder of the weekend running the back roads of King's County, hood off the jeep and Beth's hair wilder than usual. Shane could not get over how immediately comfortable he was with this girl. She was simply amazing – that was the only word for it. He even didn't mind when she changed the station on the radio.

"What was wrong with that song?" Shane asked in mock attitude.

Beth shrugged. "Nothing I don't guess – just rather listen to some Hank, Willie, or Cash." Shane smiled and it was at that point that he knew he would never wield any control over the selection of music ever again, even if he was driving. He tried not to think about Savannah.

Sunday evening found them on the back deck at Rick and Lori's – they'd gone in for the evening and left the two love birds out there for some privacy.

"Ya nervous 'bout tomorrow?" Beth asked him as she ran her fingers through his thick, wavy hair.

"Little bit" Shane admitted. "It's been a while since I interviewed for a job."

"You'll be great" Beth told him. She made a quick move to straddle him, her dress riding up a bit. "You're great at everything ya do" she breathed heavily as she ground herself into his massive hard on.

"Fuck Girl" Shane huffed. "I'm tryin to be a gentlemen here and you're makin it damn hard."

Beth giggled and blushed. "I know it's hard" and then she whispered into his ear and nibbled at the lobe. "I can feel it."

"Beth, Girl" he tried to collect his nerves that were damn near shot. "I don't know how much longer I can be a responsible party in this situation."

"Being responsible is highly overrated" Beth told him flatly.

"Yeh, well" Shane couldn't believe what he was getting ready to do. "This guy is being responsible tonight. I'm goin in and goin to bed"

Beth perked up at that, wrapping her hands around his neck. "Can I come too?" she asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

"Absolutely not" Shane told her. "Rick and Lori are in there – Carl."

"I'll be quiet" Beth reasoned.

"Yeh, I bet" Shane didn't believe that shit for a minute.

Eventually, Beth decided that she needed to get on home so that Shane could try and get a good night's sleep. She had driven herself into town that night. Shane walked her out to her car where they spent another forty-five minutes trying to say goodnight.

"How 'bout I bring ya some breakfast in the mornin?" Beth asked.

Shane had her pressed up against the car and was trying not to leave marks where he was sucking at the flesh on her neck. "Sounds good" he mumbled.

"What time's your interview?" Beth asked, straining not to scream out loud at the just right suction on her collar bones.

"9:00" he answered. Shane was at least making an attempt to reign himself in.

"Kay" Beth said "I'll be here around 7:30 or so – see if ya need any help or anything."

"Kay" Shane said as he kept kissing her in between words.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane woke early the next morning to make sure his shirt was pressed and ready. A sleepy Beth had shown up with coffee, banana nut muffins, and fresh fruit salad.

"This is good" Shane said. "I usually don't eat fruit – it's good though."

"Ya should always eat fruit" Beth told him. "Everyday."

Shane gave a little snort. Beth offered to iron his shirt, but he would not allow her to do so. _Been tendin to my clothin needs all by myself for a long time now_ he told her. _Just sit there and look pretty_.

Shane looked real thoughtful a couple of times as he was trying to get the collar just right. He opened his mouth several times to say something but always closed it at the last minute.

"Something on your mind?" Beth finally asked.

"Just wonderin if I really want to move back home" Shane admitted. "Maybe I should just head back to Savannah."

Beth was quiet for a minute. "You should do what you really want to do Shane – whatever we have goin on shouldn't be a factor in your decision."

Shane was slightly surprised by her direct and blunt response. But she wasn't finished apparently.

"I wouldn't take kindly to your asking me not to move to Savannah just like you shouldn't take too kindly to me asking you to stay in Savannah. Go to the interview. Or don't go to the interview. I'm not makin that decision for you" she said. The next thing Shane knew, Beth was gathering up her things and she left the house in a huff.

"What the fuck just happened" he asked himself out loud. Shane looked at the bedside clock. His interview was in an hour. He needed to get in the shower.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane was sitting in the outer office at the sheriff's department. Rick had met him out there and made some preliminary introductions. Now, all there was to do was wait for the big guy and the hiring committee to make their appearance. Shane felt the tension increasing in his jaw and he tried to quit grinding his teeth – it was giving him a headache.

He heard a creaking door and what must have been the sheriff introduce himself and shook Shane's hand. "Rick speaks very highly of you" he began "says you're lookin to move back home. We love havin our own protect the citizens of our county…." Shane had tuned out. The room was spinning. The room. _When had he gotten in this room? Was it hot in here?_ Shane pulled at his tie. _I think I'm gonna pass out_.

That's when he felt it. His phone, inside his jacket pocket, was vibrating. That was the third time it had gone off. The sheriff guy kept on talking and Shane kept on nodding and listening. There went his phone again.

"If you'll excuse me for just a minute" the sheriff said. "The other interviewers are here. Can I get ya a drink? Bottled water, coffee?"

"Water would be great' Shane answered. "Thank you." While the guy stepped out of the office, Shane grabbed his phone to see who had been calling or texting. Five messages from Beth.

 **Call me.** B

 **Call me. I'm so sorry.** B

 **I'm such a bitch. I'm just scared. Call me.** B

 **Shane – call me. I'm sorry**. B

 **Let's go back to Savannah together.** B


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any of the TWD characters.

 **We'll Figure it Out**

Shane had stayed for the interview – the entire two hour interview. He's not even sure if he made any sense or not after he read all of the messages that Beth had sent him. Everyone on the hiring committee seemed to have been impressed with all of his recommendations and he answered all of their questions with ease and confidence, not cockiness, just confidence. That was something Rick told him he should be mindful of. Shane answered all of their questions with certainty except one.

"So, Mr. Walsh" one of the committee members began "where do ya see yourself in five years? Ten? We're really lookin to find deputies that will stick with us – ya know, not up and leave us to go on to bigger and better things."

Beth's words from dinner the other night bounced around in his head _I like visitn but I don't think I wanta be here all the time_. Shane answered them as honestly as he could. "Well" he said "I am a hometown boy" then he flashed them that smile of his. "If I were to move back home" IF being the key word he thought to himself "it would be for good. This is where I was born and raised." There, that was as honest as he could be.

It wasn't long after that the interview concluded all of the members mentioning that they'd heard all they really needed to and that they'd be in touch soon, real soon. Shane broke out in a sweat for the second or third time that day. _Damn_ he thought to himself. _The sooner they get in touch with me, the sooner I'm gonna have to make a big ass decision._ And here, Shane Walsh thought he had everything figured out last week. That's what Beth Greene had done to him – turned his world upside down in a matter of days – days!

Shane took his jacket off and tossed it into the back of the Jeep, took a second to look around the parking lot at the Sheriff's department, and then got into the driver's seat. Where he was going to drive to he had no idea. He didn't feel like going back to Rick's house right now. He didn't know if he should just show up at the farm – hell, Beth had probably gone back to bed – she didn't seem to be much of a morning person if her mood today was any indication. Shane had honestly never been so fucking confused in his entire life.

He looked at his phone again to check for any more missed messages or phone calls. Nothing. Shane didn't know how he felt about that. Had she given up already? Was she so fucking pissed at him she just threw in the towel? As long as Shane had dealt with temperamental women, he would still never claim to understand their thought process. He'd come to the conclusion that there was no process at all – they were all fucking crazy. However, this one woman – Beth Greene – was a force to be reckoned with. This woman he thought just may be worth all the trouble to try and figure out.

While he still had the phone in his hand, it began to vibrate. Shane looked down – unknown number. "Shit" he said to himself. "Surely they're not callin me already. Ain't even outta the parkin lot – ain't ready to talk to them yet." He sucked it up and pressed accept.

"Hello" Shane answered in a semiprofessional sounding voice just in case it was the sheriff's department.

"Uh, this Shane?" a guy asked.

"Yeh, who's this?" was Shane's reply.

"It's Daryl" he said. "Rick gave me ya number. Uh, I'm in the middle of something and can't get away from the garage, but uh, Carol just called. It's Beth."

Shane's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. "What 'bout her? She's not hurt is she?"

Daryl tried not to laugh at the man, but damn he sure was whipped already. "Naw, nuttin like that I don't reckon" then Daryl paused "unless ya done something to her?"

Shane sighed heavily. "No, Daryl, for God's sake, I didn't do anything to her. We did have a little misunderstandin this morning. Ya really couldn't even call it a misunderstandin. She got all pissed, bitched me out, then up and left. I still don't know what the fuck happened."

Daryl did laugh at this point. "Yeh, that sounds 'bout right. Listen, Carol said she's been at the diner a while – on her third hot fudge sundae. Can ya go by and check on her?"

"Yeh, course" Shane turned the key in the ignition. "On my way right now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And, that's where he'd found her, in the booth all by herself – except for the three empty ice cream dishes and the fresh sundae in front of her. Beth was staring at it as if it were the only friend she had left in the world. He approached the table slowly – didn't want to spook her.

"Hey" he said quietly.

Beth looked up from the mountain of hot fudge. "Hey" she smiled weakly. "How'd the interview go?" She tried to sound perky and happy.

"Pretty good I think" Shane finally answered. "Well, really good."

"Hmmm" Beth replied.

Shane sat down across from Beth. "Beth" he said quietly. "Beth" he said, trying to get her attention. "Look at me Girl."

Beth raised her eyes to look at him. That's when he could tell that they were red rimmed and puffy.

"Hey, hey" he said "Ya okay?"

"Of course I'm okay" she snapped. "Ya think I'm gonna fall apart over some guy I've only known for four days?"

"I don't know" Shane told her. "I feel like I could probably fall all ta pieces over a girl I just met four days ago, soooooo, maybe." Shane flashed her that smart ass grin of his. "Beth, we need ta talk."

"Shane" Beth tried to stop him. "Just forget 'bout all those messages I sent – ain't got no right to ask ya to change your plans – no right at all. Ya do what ya need to do, and I'll do what I need to do. Probably wasn't meant to be anyway."

"Beth" Shane started again. "Ya know ya don't believe that for a minute. I know I sure as hell don't."

Beth blew her nose into the napkin, and Shane saw that her eyes were getting all wet and shimmery. _Ah hell_ he thought _no tears, no fuckin tears_.

"How 'bout _**we**_ do what _**we**_ need to do?" Shane stated "and fuck what anybody thinks or wants us to do. Only one person I'm worried bout takin care of right now. And I'm lookin at her."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are ya fuckin insane?" Rick's voice boomed across the diner. Lori swatted at her husband who had jumped to his feet.

"Rick" she hissed "watch your mouth. You're in public."

"Don't give a damn where I'm at" he hissed back at her, but much quieter than his initial outburst.

"Ya mean to tell me" he directed his statement to Shane who hadn't removed his eyes from Rick. Beth looked as if she may be sick. "Ya mean to tell me" Rick started again. "That ya turned down that position at the department cause you're goin back to Savannah to play house with Beth?"

"Yep" Shane answered. "We're leavin in the mornin. Spent most of the week packin up her stuff."

Everyone in the booth and surrounding tables had grown quiet. No one wanted to miss out on this conversation whether it was any of their business or not. Most excitement at Lucy's in years was unfolding right in front of their very eyes.

"Rick" Hershel spoke calmly. "I've had a discussion with the both of them." Hershel looked at everyone in their Thursday night dinner party. "Many discussions."

"Oh God" Rick said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and began pacing the floor.

"They're convinced Savannah is the place for them" Hershel started again.

"I bet they are" Rick sniped.

Hershel looked at Rick as if asking permission to speak, but not really. "Beth's gonna start graduate school there in the fall, Shane has some pretty big plans of his own. They've promised to take things slow. Honestly, I feel better knowin that they'll have each other to lean on so far away from home."

"We ain't playin house" Beth decided to speak up. "I am not a child Rick."

"Really Beth?" Rick snapped. "Really? Cause I kinda think ya are. You're not thinkin this through. Do ya know Shane Walsh's reputation with women? Do ya?"

Beth looked a little shocked.

"Course ya don't. Do ya really think you're gonna be the one to make him finally settle down?" Rick asked sarcastically.

Beth opened her mouth to say something in response, but Rick's statement hurt.

"That's enough Rick" Lori told her husband. "She's a college graduate, a very smart girl. Beth is not a child and it's really not our place to tell either of them what they can or can't do."

"Shut up Lori" Rick snarled. "I put my neck out for this guy, called in nearly every favor I had just to get him an interview, and he looks at it as a prime opportunity to fuck and play around with Shawn's baby sister. Till he gets tired of her anyway."

"Rick" Shane stood up and met him chest to chest. "I know that's been my MO in the past, I know it has. That's not who I am anymore. If Beth's Daddy can give me a chance, why can't you?"

"Cause I know you Shane" Rick retorted. "I really know you. Ya might have Hershel snowed, ya might have Beth snowed, but I know ya."

"Rick" Daryl finally decided to get his say in. "I ain't real happy 'bout this shit neither." Daryl looked to Shane. "Believe me when I say, so help me Shane if ya ever do anything to hurt Beth – anything – ya won't have to deal with Hershel, ya won't have to deal with Rick, ya gonna have to deal with me."

"And me" Merle decided to pipe up. "Please don't fuck up man, don't make me have to hide a body."

No one laughed because it wasn't a joke. Merle Dixon meant what he said. He'd killed before and the thought of doing it again didn't faze him in the least. Carol put her hand on Merle's shoulder. She knew her man and she knew he meant what he said.

"Hershel" Rick looked to the older man, pleading almost. "Ya can't be okay with this?"

"Rick" Hershel sighed. "No man is ever good enough for your little girl – until someone is. I know in my heart of hearts that Shane will take care of Beth. Does that mean they'll be together forever? I sure hope so, but there's no way for any of us to know that right now. I've just got to trust that everything will work out as it should. Please don't make this more difficult for me than it already is."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Whatya think" Shane asked Beth as they looked around at the empty apartment "ya think we can live here together and not kill each other?"

Shane had let the lease on his apartment expire thinking that he was headed back to Senoia to live. My how things had changed in two weeks' time. So for the last week, every day when Shane would get home from work, they would go looking at apartments. Just about anything suited Beth – she only wanted to get settled and "start playin house" as Rick had so eloquently put it. Shane, however, was a little more selective. In the past he really wouldn't care where he lived, the neighborhood, or anything – just a place to lay his head each night. But things were different now. He had the love of his life to think about.

"I think so" Beth smiled back at him and took Shane's hand. "Do we really need two bedrooms though?" she asked smiling even bigger with that question.

"We told your dad we were takin things slow" Shane quipped.

"That ship has sailed" Beth replied and blushed. Yeh, that ship had sailed about the second night in Savannah it pulled out of the dock.

Shane pulled Beth into an embrace which led to some kissing. And heavy petting. And maybe a little bit of grinding on Beth's part.

Five minutes later Shane asked again. "So, is this the apartment ya want?"

"I think it's great" Beth told him. "I love the balcony." He'd told her they couldn't live on the bottom floor, so no patio – didn't want to worry about someone trying to break in if he was working an overnight shift or something.

"Good" Shane kissed Beth on the top of her head.

"I like the laundry closet" Beth added. Shane had told her that she wasn't spending any amount of time in a community type laundry room – those places were a rape scene waiting to happen he'd said.

"Good" Shane kissed Beth at her temple, amongst the curls.

"We can use the second bedroom as an office" Beth reasoned.

"Sounds like a plan" Shane agreed. "You're a problem solver – see, I knew we needed two bedrooms."

Beth giggled and then plopped the overnight bag she'd been holding on to down on the floor. "Home, sweet, home" she teased.

"Home, sweet, home" Shane whispered into her hair.

"I love you Shane Walsh" Beth whispered into his ear.

"I thought I loved you then" came his reply as he thought back to the night he met her at Lucy's All Right Diner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Daddy called" Beth stated as she placed the salad dressing to Shane.

It was Tuesday – spaghetti Tuesday. Spaghetti was Beth's current specialty – it was hard to mess up spaghetti. Shane looked at the expiration date on the bottle then took a big sniff of it.

"When'd ya buy this shit?" he asked. Beth rolled her eyes.

"It's fine" she told him. "You've got a cast iron stomach – ain't gonna kill ya."

"Mmmm" Shane thought that the cast iron comment could be up for debate. Beth's cooking had certainly put it to the test. Reluctantly, he squeezed some of the dressing onto his bagged salad.

"What'd Hershel want?" Shane got back to the original topic of discussion.

"He's wantin to know what our Thanksgiving plans were" Beth replied.

"Ya tell him?" Shane asked.

Beth sighed. "Yeh."

"How'd he take it?" Shane asked.

"Not too good" Beth said. "Told him we'd be home at Christmas for sure." She smiled at Shane. "We will be home for Christmas won't we?"

Shane didn't really know if he could answer that question right now or not. "Beth, I can't make any promises right now. Not sure if I can get away."

The furrow in between Beth's brows increased. "I know" she glanced down. "Well, I'll probably need to make the trip home for Christmas day at least."

Shane nodded. "I know. I know" he said. "We'll figure it out."

"Yeh" Beth agreed. "We'll figure it out."


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own any of the TWD characters.

Senoia Shenanigans

Shane and Beth had packed her car up the night before so that when he rolled in from his overnight shift he could shower and then they'd be on their way to Senoia to celebrate the Christmas holidays with the family. Beth had volunteered to drive so that Shane could get at least a few hours of sleep before having to put a happy holiday face on. He hoped and prayed that they would arrive safely and in one piece. Shane wasn't quite sure who'd taught Beth to drive, but if he ever found out, he would probably ask them if they just gave up or what.

It had taken some finagling on Shane's part, he worked all the crappy shifts over the Thanksgiving holiday, double shifts when needed during the few weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and called in nearly every favor he ever thought about having. As much as he knew that Beth didn't want to live back home, that didn't mean that she wasn't missing her Daddy. And her sister. And her Daryl. And hell, even her Rick.

As Beth took the exit ramp to get onto the interstate headed home, Shane fluffed the pillow up that Beth had tossed to him at the last minute. He placed the pillow between his head and the window, leaned into it (taking a whiff because he's pretty sure that it was Beth's pillow), and then closed his eyes. He tried to shut his brain down so that he could get some rest, but it was difficult to do. Shane always had a million things on his mind – those million things usually centered around the little blond sitting in the driver's seat humming quietly and twisting a curl of her hair as she checked her rearview mirror. Honestly, it had been the first smile he'd seen on her face in quite a while.

Shane was starting to become a little bit worried about his Baby Girl. Most evenings she was a weeping, sobbing mess that he would have to pick up out of the middle of the bedroom floor. If he were working second shift, she'd usually already be passed out on the couch when he came in from work. He'd pick Beth up and carry her to bed, kissing her forehead before pulling the covers up over her.

"I can't do this Shane" she'd lament. "Am I this damn stupid?" she'd cry out as she waved a graded exam or term paper around in the air.

"Of course you can do this Beth" Shane would whisper into her hair as he tried to soothe her. "No, you're not stupid – smartest damn person I know. Now don't say that Beth Anne."

Beth had had a rough first semester of pharmacy school. Academically, the classes were a lot more challenging than she had anticipated. Every waking moment she spent reading, going to classes, or studying for exams.

She'd been very honest in the beginning. "Shane" she'd began "I'm not the best cook. I was so young when Momma passed – I just never really spent much time in the kitchen with her." Shane remembered assuring her that he didn't love her for her cooking skills, he loved her because she was a wonderful human. He had to remind himself of that on a daily basis – he hadn't fallen head over heels in love with Elizabeth Annette Greene for her cooking skills.

It should be noted that her cleaning skills were lacking as well. Shane did the best he could to pick up behind his girlfriend, but damn, he was getting ready to rename her Pigpen. Shit seemed to just fall off of shelves and out of closets as she walked past them. Beth Greene left a path of filth and destruction wherever she went. The apartment didn't appear to belong to two grown adults – it looked more like something from a frat house. Empty pizza boxes were stacked everywhere, piles of dirty laundry lined the hallway, and the ring around the bathtub had rings of its own.

The difficult schedule had been rough on the both of them – Beth more so than Shane. He just continued in his day to day life the best he could, then returned home after his shifts to try and pick up all the pieces. Beth, however, was suffering - mentally, emotionally, and physically. Shane would not have been surprised if she hadn't lost at least ten or fifteen pounds. Now, most people would be thrilled at the thought of losing weight so easily. Beth did not have those pounds to lose though. She was damn near skeletal and had dark circles under her eyes. She'd also starting complaining about her hair thinning out. Shane's concerns for her health were growing on a daily basis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They're here" Hershel exclaimed as he threw the front door open. "They're here!" Glen came from out of the kitchen and Maggie looked up from wrapping some last minute packages. Hershel nearly sprinted out the front door and down the steps with Glen close behind. It was most definitely the fastest he'd moved in a long time.

Instantly, Beth began to breathe easier upon seeing her Daddy. She did put the car in park, but forgot to turn it off. She met her Daddy at the edge of the driveway where Hershel wrapped her up in a hug. Glen waited patiently for his turn.

Hershel knew when Beth began sobbing that they needed to have a conversation, but now wasn't the time for that. "Dry that up Bethie – you're home and it's Christmas" he told her.

Glen then stepped in and gave his sister in-law a hug. "We've missed you kid."

Maggie had joined them and snatched Beth out of Glen's grasp and wrapped her in a hug. Maggie pushed Beth back away from her slightly to get a look at her – really get a look at her. "Beth" Maggie whispered. "Are you okay? You're so pale – I mean really, really pale."

Beth couldn't respond verbally because she knew that she would only begin crying. Beth nodded.

Maggie ran her hands up and down Beth's slender arms. "You've lost weight?" Maggie stated quietly.

"Maybe a little" Beth whispered.

"Where's Shane?" Maggie asked and looked to the car parked in the driveway. "Come to your senses yet?"

"Maggie" Beth pleaded. "He's still in the car – I'm letting him sleep as long as he can. The man's exhausted. He really went above and beyond just so that he we could make the trip home."

"Mmmm" was Maggie's reply.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sleeping arrangements for the Christmas holiday had certainly had Hershel in a wad all week. He'd decided to put Maggie and Glen in the downstairs guest room – they were after all, a married couple. Shane and Beth on the other hand presented him with a dilemma. Now, this man knew that they weren't making use of those two bedrooms back in Savannah. However, he also knew that they weren't married and would not be sharing a bedroom while under his roof. At least, knowingly, he wasn't going to allow them to share a bedroom while under his roof.

Shane had finally stirred from his nap in the car. Upon waking he wondered why in the world he was sitting in a car, driver's door standing wide open, and the car still running. Then he remembered that Beth had been driving and he was just thankful to be waking up alive. He got out of the car and stretched his long legs. Glen came back out about that time and hollered at him, "Want some help unloading everything?"

"Yeh" Shane yelled back. "That'd be great." Once Glen got to the vehicle Shane asked, "Where's Beth?"

Glen looked to the ground. "She's upstairs with Maggie – think she's crying. Dude, ya'll having trouble?"

Shane rubbed at his head like he did when things were bothering him. "No" he answered slowly. "She's just plain wore out. School's a lot harder than she thought it's gonna be. Her stress level is out the roof – and so is mine. I'm really startin to get worried 'bout her Man."

"I knew something had to be up" Glen confessed. "They're all three up there in the bathroom. Beth's crying, Maggie's crying, and Hershel's giving her the third degree. You'll probably be next."

"Fuck" Shane said. "They probably think we're fightin or something. But man, we don't even have time to fight, or argue, or fu." Shane cut himself off. Glen looked around nervously. That was a little more information than he wanted to know. "We ain't got time to do nothing – I reckon I could probably lose my shit real easy right 'bout now myself."

"Dude" Glen said quietly. "I'm sorry ya'll are having a rough patch. Anything I can do to help?"

"Appreciate man, but I don't reckon" Shane answered. "Guess, we'll just have to tough it out."

"Yeh" Glen agreed.

"Only got three and a half years to go" Shane said sarcastically.

"It'll fly by" Glen tried to say it in an encouraging tone. Both men shook their heads as they unloaded suitcases and packages out of Beth's car.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane had been set up in Shawn's old bedroom – across the hall from Beth's room. It was weird for a lot of reasons. The first one being that it had been a long time, but Shane used to spend the night in that very room. He and Shawn had a bunch of dirty magazines hidden in one of the floorboards. Secondly, Shane hated working the overnight shift and not getting to sleep with his woman. Well, this was even worse than that. She was right across the hall, and he couldn't hold her in his arms. He thought he may have to pry the old floorboard up and see if he couldn't find those girly mags – hell, it'd be more action than he'd had lately anyway.

Glen had taken care of supper that night. Steaks on the grill, roasted broccoli, and baked potatoes. Both he and Beth ate as if it were their last meal. Beth ate all of her steak and half of another. She also finished off the pan of roasted broccoli.

"Beth Darling?" Hershel asked "Honey, were ya hungry?"

"Starved" she replied as she fixed a big saucer of apple pie and ice cream for Shane and then one for herself. "Glen, I'm very impressed" she told her brother in law. "Maggie" Beth then looked to her older sister, "Ya, better hold on to him."

Maggie smiled at Glen and rubbed his arm. Then she cleared her throat. "Guys" Maggie was grinning ear to ear. "Glen and I have some news."

Glen was now smiling. "We were going to wait until Christmas morning to tell everyone, but"

Maggie interrupted. "But, we just couldn't wait any longer."

Everyone stared at the goofy duo. Hershel was starting to smile as well. He wasn't for sure, but he certainly had been eager for this possibility.

"We're having a baby" Maggie squealed. Beth joined Maggie in squealing and they hugged each other while jumping up and down.

"Oh my gosh" Beth chanted. "Oh my gosh. I'm gonna be an aunt. I'm gonna be an aunt."

Shane stood up and slapped Glen on the shoulder. "Congratulations man. Ya'll are gonna be awesome parents. That's great."

Everyone looked to the head of the table where Hershel was still seated, looking satisfied but sad. Maggie knelt down beside her daddy. "What's wrong Daddy?" she asked. "I thought you'd be happy."

"Oh Margaret" he said. "I am. I am happy – babies are one of the best things in this world. I just wish Annette was gonna be here to help me spoil it."

Maggie and Beth both hugged their Daddy's neck and placed kisses on his plump cheeks. "Daddy, she's gonna be watchin. Don't ya worry 'bout that" Maggie told him.

"Besides" Beth teased. "I don't think you're really gonna require all that much help spoiling the first grandbaby."

Everyone got a chuckle out of that – even Hershel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hershel wanted to run to town and pick up something he had forgotten for breakfast the next morning. Maggie had jumped at the opportunity to drive because she wanted to show Glen all of the Christmas lights that their neighbors put out every year. Shane and Beth opted to stay behind and clean up the kitchen.

Shane was grateful for the one on one time with Beth. Honestly, it seemed like it had been forever since they'd spent any time together that she wasn't trying to complete a lab report or he wasn't trying to get their laundry caught up. Shane was rinsing the last dish while Beth wiped down the kitchen counters and the table. She'd been humming a tune lightly, then had switched to whistling. He'd never heard her whistle before. Man, she was good. Wasn't long after that and she was singing softly. Shane stopped what he was doing to turn and listen to her. He remembered his Momma singing this song when he was a little boy. The song had always made him sad, but he still liked it because he loved the la da das.

 **Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train and I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans. Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained. It rode us all the way to New Orleans.**

Beth made her way over to the sink and rinsed out the cloth she was using, folded it, and laid it across the sink. Then she turned to put the leftover pie into the oven.

She took another breath and continued her singing.

 **I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna. I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, yeah. Windshield wiper slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine. We sang every song that driver knew.**

Shane fetched the tea pitcher and the butter to put back into the fridge while Beth grabbed the broom from the utility closet. He could hear her singing the chorus. My God, could that girl sing! He wasn't about to say a word to her and interrupt this impromptu concert.

 **Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no. And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues. You know, feelin' good was good enough for me. Good enough for me and my Bobby McGhee.**

Shane needed to take the trash out to the burn barrel but he wasn't about to leave while she was still singing – he wouldn't miss this song for the world.

 **From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun. There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul. Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done. Yeah, Bobby baby kept from the cold.**

Beth had a little pile of trash she'd swept to the middle of the kitchen floor so Shane retrieved the dust pan and held it for her while she swept the debris up.

 **One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away. He's lookin' for that home, and I hope he finds it. But, I'd trade all of my tomorrows, for a single yesterday. To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine.**

Shane dumped the dust pan into the trash, took the broom from Beth, and returned it and the dust pan to the closet.

 **Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no. And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues. You know, feelin' good was good enough for me. Good enough for me and my Bobby McGhee.**

When he returned Beth had started his favorite part of the song – the la da das. That's when he took her in his arms and they slowly danced right there in Hershel Greene's kitchen. Beth sang the la da das. Shane wanted to kiss her, but he could wait just a few more seconds.

 **La da da, La da da da, La da da da da da da da, La da da da da da da da. Bobby McGhee, yeah.**

 **La da da da da da da, La da da da da da da, La da da da da da da. Bobby McGhee, yeah.**

 **La da La la la da la da da la da da, la da da da da da da da da. Hey, my Bobby. Oh, my Bobby McGhee, yeah.**

 **La la la la la la la la, La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la. Hey, my Bobby. Oh, my Bobby McGhee, yeah**

When she had finished singing, Shane pulled her chin up so that he could kiss her. It was slow and sweet. It was needy, on both their parts. Beth felt so relaxed in his arms – it felt like his old Beth.

"That was amazin" Shane told Beth. She smiled that Beth Greene smile he'd missed. "My Momma used to sing that when I's a little boy."

"Awww" Beth grinned. "Did I do it justice?" Shane nodded.

"Love you" Shane whispered into Beth's lips before trying to capture them again.

A tear slipped down Beth's face and Shane wiped it away. "Love you" she hiccupped.

"Hey" Shane told her. "None of that."

"Okay" Beth whispered.

"Wanta go upstairs?" Shane smirked. Beth returned his smirk and nodded her head. That's all Shane needed to hear before he swept her off her feet to carry her upstairs. "Your place or mine?" he asked.

"Mine" she giggled. Shane lightly kicked her bedroom door open and plopped her onto the bed. Lucky for them, Maggie had taken the extended Christmas Lights Tour!


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own any of the TWD characters.

 **More Senoia Shenanigans**

Hershel, Glen, and Maggie had come home to a dark and quiet house. The three of them were still giddy after seeing all of the Christmas decorations in town and were discussing them at length. Glen pondered how he could do all of that with a simple computer program. There had to be a way to do all that without actually getting out in the weather to physically hand lights he'd said, Hershel voiced concern over the electricity consumed in lighting one's house up like an airport. The older man mumbled that although it was pretty and magical and festive and all that it seemed a waste of resources. Maggie continued to marvel at the beauty of it all. It's just a wonderful way to celebrate such a magical season she added.

"Ya reckon they've gone to bed already?" Maggie wondered aloud. She was pulling cups from the cupboard since her Daddy had indicated a craving for some hot chocolate.

Inwardly Hershel cringed. Hopefully, if the two of them had been up to anything, surely to goodness they would be finished by now. Their trip to town had ended up lasting close to two hours.

"I don't know" he responded trying not to sound agitated. "I know Shane was plumb wore out though – think he's worked near all week so they could make the trip home."

"What do you mean? Like overtime or something?" Glen asked.

Hershel nodded. "Think he covered shifts for any and everybody over the Thanksgiving holiday and then he's worked a lot of double shifts this week and last week so people would cover for him." Maggie looked at her dad like she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"Let's face it kids" Hershel started talking again. "His line of work is dangerous, thankless, and it's not real family friendly – Shane really had to move mountains for them to have this time away."

"I've not really spent a lot of time with him, but he seems like a real stand-up guy" Glen offered. He pulled the gallon of milk from the fridge and handed it to Maggie who had already measured out the chocolate mix into a sauce pan.

"Pfffft" Maggie blew out. "The Shane Walsh I know is after one thing, and one thing only."

"Maggie" Glen said. He was a little embarrassed she's say that in front of her dad.

"It's true Glen" Maggie said. "Biggest womanizer around."

Hershel hobbled over to the table and sat down where he began to rub at his knee. "Now, Maggie" he sighed. "That's true – he was something else years ago. But, I honestly and truly think that those days are behind him. He seems to possess a maturity about him that I admire. I know he's a hard worker – he's set some career goals for himself, personal goals for he and Bethie."

"Yeh, well" Maggie was now stirring the mixture on the stove. "The jury's still out on that – he's gonna have to prove himself to me."

"No, he doesn't Margaret" Hershel spoke sternly. "He only has to prove himself to our Bethie, and it appears he's doing a fine job of it. Now, I don't want to hear another hateful word about Shane come out of your mouth for the entirety of this holiday."

Maggie sucked her bottom lip in and turned the burner off. Glen rubbed her shoulder as he slid the mugs to her. "Yes sir" she said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three of them hadn't heard a peep come from upstairs since they'd been home. Glen had gotten a fire going in the fireplace, they'd all propped their feet up, and then watched a sappy Christmas movie. Hershel had already been up way past his usual bedtime and he was starting to feel it. He bid the couple good night by slapping Glen on the leg and kissing Maggie on the top of her head.

"This old man's gotta hit the hay" he told them.

"Goodnight Hershel" Glen told him. "We still on for tomorrow?"

"Yes sir" Hershel told the young man.

"Night Daddy" Maggie told him. "I think Beth and I are runnin to the mall tomorrow – she's got a few things to do yet."

Hershel nodded that he had heard Maggie, then made his exit. Slowly, Hershel made the trek up the stairs to go to his bedroom. Did he dare check in on the two occupied bedrooms – or the two bedrooms that were supposed to be occupied? Or should he just crawl into his own bed and leave everyone else the hell alone? Hell, everybody here was an adult – again he was torn. Glancing down the hallway, he saw that Beth's door was slightly ajar and the multi-colored lights from her little Christmas tree were on. Hershel had put the tree up himself when he heard that Shane and Beth were definitely coming home for Christmas.

Hershel made his way to Beth's room. He gently nudged the door open to take a peek inside. Well, that answered his question – two bodies in the bed. At least they're clothed Hershel breathed a sigh of relief at that. Beth had a pair of footie pajamas on while Shane was sporting a pair of sleep pants and a tshirt emblazoned with a SWAT emblem. Hershel couldn't help but fight the smile creeping onto his face. Beth had every single cover and damn near every pillow. Poor Shane had the edge of one pillow and the edge of the bed. He appeared to be on the very brink of ending up in the floor. Hershel fought a chuckle. _Poor son of a bitch_ he thought to himself. _He'd for sure get a better night's sleep if he's sleepin alone. Best I remember, that girl kicks like a damn mule too._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hershel woke to the smell of bacon and the sound of Christmas music and laughter. Those were three things he could get used to. He showered and dressed quickly because he certainly didn't want to miss out on the bacon. Hershel was fairly certain that if Shane got to it first, well, it just wouldn't last very long. Shane was a big ole boy and seemed to inhale food.

Downstairs in the kitchen was were all the action seemed to be taking place. Glen was at the stove demonstrating the art of pancake making to Beth. The poor girl had a notepad and pencil – God bless her Hershel thought – _she's taking notes_. She even snapped a picture on her phone of an empty skillet. Hershel was sure that Annette was probably turning over in her grave right about now.

"So, how long you leave that before you flip it over?" Beth asked in all seriousness. "Ten minutes?"

"What?" Glen asked. "No Beth." He tried not to laugh when he realized that she wasn't joking. "Watch the pancake."

And Beth did – she watched with all her might, just as if she were watching a boiling beaker in a chemistry lab.

"Now" Glen spoke clearly "see the edges starting to set up and the bubbles forming around the edge?" he asked her.

Beth nodded her head excitedly as she learned something new. "Yeh" she answered.

"That's when you know they're ready to flip" Glen told her and then showed her how to flip them. Less than a minute later, he lifted each cake up out of the skillet and onto a waiting platter. "You want to try?" he asked her.

Panic. Deer in the head lights kind of panic. Beth shook her head no – frantically. "No" she said quickly. "I'll just watch you."

"Nonsense" Glen told her.

And the next thing Hershel knew, Glen had positioned Beth behind the cooktop, spatula in hand. He stayed right behind her and talked her through it. When Glen was certain, she had the hang of it he pulled everything from the fridge that they would be needing. He arranged milk, juice, syrup, and butter out on the counter; pulled plates from the cabinet; and retrieved the bacon from the oven where he had it warming. And before anyone knew what had happened, Beth Greene had just finished preparing breakfast for her family.

Hershel had learned from Glen that Maggie and Shane had gone out to feed the cows, gather eggs, and take care of all the other morning farm chores. Beth didn't divulge any information as she was too busy concentrating on her pancakes. She, admittedly, had let a couple batches burn up. Glen told her not to worry about it. Hershel assured her that the chickens would love them. Beth smiled. Glen set the burnt ones to the side and mixed up another batch of batter for her to practice. They in no way needed the four or five dozen pancakes she ended up cooking, but she most definitely needed the practice.

Maggie and Glen returned before much more time had elapsed. They were muddy, wet, and chilled. Apparently, though something was very, very amusing as the both of them were laughing so hard they couldn't even get their boots off.

"Hey there my little farm hands" Hershel greeted them at the back door. "You're just in time for breakfast." Hershel just grinned all over himself. He couldn't wait until Shane found out who had made breakfast.

Not a single piece of bacon was spared. There were plenty of pancakes left, but not because they weren't good. Maggie was enjoying her second cup of coffee and Shane a second glass of milk – he was a child at heart.

Shane leaned back and rubbed his belly. "Man, thanks for breakfast Glen" he stated. "Love pancakes and bacon!"

Hershel's eyes twinkled at Beth and Glen smiled. "Actually, you should thank Beth" Glen said. Maggie looked up in surprise and Shane looked incredibly puzzled. Glen went on, "Beth made the pancakes this morning. And the bacon was precooked – we just zapped that in the microwave, cause let's face it – ain't nobody got time to fry bacon anymore."

Beth was so proud. "Baby, did ya cook up all these pancakes?" Shane asked her.

Beth giggled. _Damn_ , Shane smirked, _she hasn't giggled in forever_.

"I did" she admitted proudly. "Glen showed me how and let me practice."

"You did a great job Bethie" Maggie added.

"Yes, you did Girl" Shane stood up from the table to take his plate to the sink, but not before placing a sweet kiss on her still smiling lips. "Breakfast was delicious."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone had something to do that day.

Beth and Maggie were going to the mall to take care of some last minute shopping and to have a girl's day out of sorts. It had been a long while since they'd had much time together. Carol and Sophia were going to meet them for a late lunch before the four of them went to a movie.

Shane, Merle, and Daryl were going deer hunting. Shane had been looking forward to it forever. He was hoping to snag a big one. Daryl had promised to process the meat for him if he got one. That was actually what Daryl did for a living – he was a wild game processor, the best around. Daryl, being Daryl, lived way out in the middle of nowhere and had built with his own hands a stand-alone meat processing facility. He serviced all of northern Georgia and stayed busy with it nearly year round. Daryl helped Merle out at his garage when he wasn't busy.

Glen and Hershel also had plans for the day. Hershel was in the market for a new television and didn't really have any idea where to start. And not just for the downstairs, he wanted one for his bedroom as well. Gone were the days when you made a simple purchase when it came to electronics. Glen had offered to research what he thought would serve Hershel best. He'd done just that and today he was taking Hershel to look over the options.

Shane invited Glen to go hunting with the other guys, but that wasn't something Glen was interested in at all.

"You mean like, you're going to kill a deer?" Glen asked for clarification.

"Well, yeh" Shane told him. "A man's gotta eat."

"Naw, we gonna put a red nose on him and bring him home" Daryl snorted. Shane punched Daryl in the arm.

Glen looked a little sick. "God, that sounds just awful. I'll take a pass on that."


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own any of the TWD characters.

 **Christmas Wishes**

After their movie, all of the ladies wanted to go out to Daryl's and see how the men had fared. Beth had gotten a text from Shane that included a pic of him and his big buck. He was so proud and Beth was proud for him. It didn't hurt anything that Beth thought Shane looked extra hot in all that camo. Daryl, of course, had gotten a deer too but poor ole Merle just couldn't sit in a deer stand long enough anymore without having to go take a piss, so he wasn't quite as lucky.

"I don't give a shit" Merle bellowed. "Baby Brother keeps me in dear meat."

Carol had Merle on speaker phone- which probably wasn't the best decision on her part. Seriously, who in their right mind would put Merle Dixon on speaker phone? With children present? Maggie drove them all the way out to Daryl's cabin. Beth was laughing because everyone could hear Daryl and Shane in the background riding Merle pretty hard because he hadn't gotten a deer. The more they taunted the man, the louder and more obscene he became.

"Momma" Sophia said "Tell Daddy to stop cussin so much – Santa ain't gonna bring him a thing."

Everyone in the vehicle laughed as Carol relayed the message to her now beyond irate husband. Immediately, even over the speaker of the cell phone, you could tell that Merle had reeled his behavior in.

"Alright Baby Girl" Merle laughed softly. "I sure don't want to get on the naughty list at this point – I been so damn good this year and all. Be a shame to mess it up now."

And, of course, that just set Shane and Daryl off once again into a barrage of witty comments.

"I love you Daddy" Sophia shouted from the backseat.

"Love you more Girl" Merle gushed.

"Awwww" Beth sighed. "That's just the sweetest thing ever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Christmas Eve was celebrated by everyone attending the candlelight ceremony at church in their holiday finest. Hershel was very proud of his girls and their men. Maggie was happily married to a successful and fine young man – they were expecting a baby in the summer. Beth was in graduate school and had a confident, go getter of a guy that thought she hung the moon. Yes, Hershel was very proud indeed.

Christmas morning was like any other morning in some ways since they were living on a farm, and it seemed that the girls and their fellows had developed quite the routine since they'd been home for the holiday. Just like every morning that week, Shane and Maggie got up and tended to all the necessary farm chores. Hershel not only appreciated the help on the farm, but he was grateful that Maggie and Shane were growing closer. He wanted Maggie to realize that Shane really was a good guy and that he loved Beth dearly.

Glen and Beth took care of breakfast. And Hershel, well, he just plain ole relaxed and enjoyed being doted on. In the week his children had been home, Beth had learned how to flip pancakes, microwave bacon, scramble eggs, and toast bread. Beth was so excited at all of the things Glen had been teaching her and he was a whole lot more patient with her than Maggie ever was.

Once they enjoyed a hearty Christmas breakfast – Glen had handled most of it, the country ham, hash brown casserole, biscuits, and grits. Beth scrambled the eggs, made the coffee, and poured the juice. She was still smiling all over herself when Shane threw the compliments her way.

"Baby" he'd said. "I mean it. That's the best Christmas breakfast I've ever had."

"Thank you" Beth blushed. Glen winked at Beth and that was one of the reasons Maggie loved him so. Even though Beth hadn't had a huge role in the breakfast that day, Glen never let on as such. He simply smiled and kept on encouraging his sister in law so that she wouldn't give up.

After breakfast, everyone had that glazed over look in their eyes. You know the one where you need to go sleep off the effect of the biscuits and grits. Beth, however, had other plans and insisted on opening gifts. Actually, it was more like, Beth wouldn't allow anyone to nap until they did exchange gifts.

"Come on guys" Beth whined. "Let's open our gifts now and then we can all take a long winter's nap."

Shane was yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Yeh, I'm tired" he said. "For some reason" he laughed "I'm not sleeping as good as I usually do."

Hershel snorted. "Son, ya'll got a bigger bed down in Savannah?"

Shane looked a bit sheepish. "Yes sir" he answered. "It's a king."

"Well, my gosh boy" Hershel slapped his leg. "You're tryin to pile up in a double with Beth Greene. Bet you been kidney punched and head butted so many times – damn wonder ya ain't got a concussion."

Beth gasped as if she were offended, but really, nothing ever offended her. Everyone in the room laughed and Beth knew it was at her expense but she didn't care.

"So" unaffected by their teasing, "Can we open presents now?"

Hershel laughed. "Of course we can Doodle Bug" Hershel said. "And then, Shane can go have a nap. Hell, the poor boy's got bags under his eyes. Looks like he's been beat with a stick."

"Hush up Daddy" Maggie told him "that's enough."Hershel just laughed and laughed at his own jokes even though no one else thought they were all that funny.

It sure didn't take long for Hershel's girls to get through all the presents. He believed that they may have opened them even more quickly than they did when they were little girls. The men folk sat around and stared at the mess in disbelief that anyone could destroy a living room in that short span of time. It would be a look that the men would have for many Christmases to come, especially once the little ones started arriving.

The girls volunteered to clean up the mess as they were always so obsessed with not throwing the good bows away, or accidently tossing a gift card or cash, and other things of that nature that men didn't seem to give a shit about. The men were more than happy to go take a nap. Shane sure hoped that he could get into a sound sleep before his sweet thing joined him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane woke to a dark room. It was a little cool in the room and at some point Beth must have come in there and covered him with a quilt. He'd been sleeping so hard that drool trekked from his chin to the pillow and his hair was completely out of control, even by Shane Walsh standards. Shane dried his face on his shirt sleeve then tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh my God" he mumbled. "Wonder what time it is." He grappled around for his phone but couldn't locate it. Shane decided he needed to get up anyway and use the restroom. Beth must have heard him bumbling around because when he finished washing up and stepped out into the hallway, there she was.

"Well hello Sleepy Head" she smiled at him. "Have a good rest?"

Shane felt hungover he'd slept so hard. "Yeh" he whispered into the side of her neck as he pulled her into an embrace. "Missed ya though – thought ya'd come up and lay down with me." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Daddy said I had to leave you alone so that you could get some quality sleep" Beth pouted.

"Uhm, well" Shane smiled that devilish quirky smile of his. "I did sleep real good." They stood in the hallway doing all that lovey, dovey hugging and shit that tore Daryl up. "What time is it anyway?" he finally asked.

"Eight thirty" she responded.

"P.M?" Shane asked.

"Well, yeh" Beth laughed. "Maggie and I cooked supper."

Shane didn't know if he should comment on that or not. "What're we having?" he asked with caution.

"Some kind of noodle thing" she answered. "It's pretty good. I didn't set the kitchen on fire or anything so I consider it another success."

"Good job Baby" Shane kissed the top of her head and began to walk down the steps.

"Oh" Beth called to him as he hit the top step. "Lieutenant Fritsch called. He wants you to call him back as soon as you're wide awake." She pulled Shane's phone out of her back pocket and held it up to him.

Shane turned around quickly. "Oh my gosh Beth. How come ya didn't wake me up?" He sounded a bit panicked.

"He told me not to wake you" Beth looked worried causing Shane to become concerned that he'd upset her.

"I ain't mad Beth, honey" he tried to soothe her. "But, ya coulda woke me up – I'm hopin this is it. Ya think this is it?" He smiled at Beth. Beth smiled at Shane.

"Ya think this is it?" Beth asked and jumped up and down on her toes. "Oh, Shane, I hope so. You've worked so hard."

Shane gnawed on his bottom lip and nodded his head up and down slowly. "I sure hope so. Are we ready for me to do this? It's gonna be pretty intense. And I'll have to be away for a while."

Beth nodded her head in agreement. "I know. I know" she said. "This is so important to you Shane. To us."

Shane held the phone in his hands and studied it as if it would give him the answer he was looking for. He then looked to Beth again. "Beth, honey, ya had a rough semester" Shane started. "Maybe I oughta wait, I mean he might not even be callin 'bout it" Shane was babbling at this point and Beth was having none of it.

"Stop it Shane" Beth snapped. "I can think of no other reason that man would call you on Christmas day. As far as I'm concerned, well, I'm just gonna have to suck it up – life is rough and I knew pharmacy school was gonna be hard. I need to start pullin my weight so you can get this done."

Beth took Shane's face in both of her delicate hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "Make the phone call, listen to what the man has to say, and then we'll talk if you are still unsure. But, Babe, I'm sure – if this is your time, it's your time. I'm not gonna be the one to hold ya back – I'm gonna be the one to push ya forward."

Shane smiled that big goofy ass grin that Beth loved so much. "Wanta listen in?" he asked. Beth nodded her head and smiled. The two of them turned right around and went into Beth's room, closed the door, and sat upon the rumpled bed so that Shane could return possibly the most important phone call of his life.

"Yes, Lieutenant Fritsch" Shane said as soon as someone answered. "It's Shane Walsh returning your call Sir."

Beth heard some general how ya doin banter back and forth between the men.

"Yes, Christmas this year has pretty much worn me out" Shane laughed. "Had to get a little nap in."

After that statement from Shane, Beth could tell that the Lieutenant was getting to the intent of the original phone call. Shane listened intently to the man on the other end of the phone line, offering affirmative responses when appropriate – _yes, I see_ or _uh huh, I understand_ and _of course_.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that" Shane said sincerely. Beth's face fell. Surely this man hadn't called Shane to burst his bubble on Christmas day. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for him, but I'm certainly ready and appreciative for my shot."

Shane punched Beth in the leg to get her attention – she had zoned out temporarily when she thought things weren't going as well as they had thought. "Yes Sir" Shane said. "Yes Sir" again.

"Can you forward that to me? I'm in Senoia until Tuesday" Shane asked.

"Of course" Shane said. He kept punching Beth in the leg. She thought for sure she'd be bruised if he didn't stop it.

"Ouch" Beth squeaked and finally punched him back. Shane tried not to laugh at her feeble attempt to inflict pain on him.

"What is the date that I will be reporting?" Shane asked. "How many weeks?" Shane kept firing the questions at his superior and the man was all too happy to answer them. This Lieutenant had always liked Shane and his go get em attitude – Fritsch knew Shane Walsh was going places and he wanted to be able to say that he was the guy that sent him there.

"And, will there be any leave?" Shane asked "Ya know like on weekends?" Shane frowned a bit at the response. "Well, I certainly understand that" he said in response. He didn't like the response, but he understood it.

"That sounds fantastic" Shane said. "And you'll send all that info to me? I can check my email just as soon as I get off here." Shane nodded. Shane had gotten up from the bed and was now pacing the floor back and forth, causing one particular board to creak with his weight each time he stepped on it. Beth could already see the cogs turning in his head. The man was in a constant state of thinking, analyzing, reasoning – honestly, he wore her out sometimes. She sure loved him though.

Shane wrapped the phone call up and stood in front of Beth's bedroom window – staring out at the cows enjoying the hay he and Maggie had put out that morning. Beth was still sitting on the bed staring at her man.

"WELL?" she finally asked. "Are ya gonna tell me what's goin on?"

"I hope to hell I'm not gonna regret eatin so much bacon this week" Shane snorted and rubbed his belly as he flopped backwards onto the bed.

"What?" Beth said. "Bacon? What are you talkin 'bout Shane? Are you in or not?"

He turned his head to her and grinned. "I report January 4 for a physical and psychological evaluation."

"Oh God" Beth said. "Hope ya pass that psychological one."

"Pfffftttt" Shane breathed out. "You're the crazy one girl!" Beth giggled as Shane ran his hand up the inside of her thigh. At this point she was squirming and trying to get out of Shane's grasp. "Then, if that goes well, they're sending me to Virginia" Shane spoke into her ear. He'd positioned himself in between Beth's legs, which she had readily allowed.

"Virginia?" Beth asked, her baby blues blinking back at Shane's brown eyes.

Shane hesitated a bit. "Yeh, there's a small batch of us they want to train at Quantico."

"Shane" Beth said quietly. "I'm so very proud of you." She kissed him on his scruffy jaw and rubbed her fingers all over his scalp. That always relaxed him and Beth could tell that he was starting to tense up a bit.

"Well" Shane moaned slightly at Beth's scalp massaging skills. "Gotta a few more hurdles to jump – don't get ahead of yourself."

"I ain't ahead of myself" she kissed him on the lips. "I already know I'm proud of you" Beth told him "and, I know that you can handle anything they throw at ya."

"Mmmm" he hummed into Beth's lips. "Do ya now?"

"Yeh" Beth hummed back. "Wanta see if ya can handle what I throw at ya?"

"God yes" Shane growled into Beth's belly. He'd already slid down a little further so that he could nibble and lick around her belly button. Beth was already arching her back and getting loud. "Shhhhh, girl" Shane told her. "This is a covert operation." Beth giggled. Shane didn't know if it was because the nibbling was tickling her or she thought his comment was funny. Shane didn't care the reason. He only cared that he could make her giggle – loved the sound of it.

Within seconds, Shane had Beth out of her leggings, panties, and shirt – she was only left in a tiny scrap of material she called a bralette, or some such nonsense as that. Shane really did have this disrobing Beth thing down perfectly. He quickly positioned himself on the floor and yanked Beth by her ankles across the bed, then pulled Beth's center to his greedy mouth.

"Oh God Shane!" Beth moaned out. Instead of slapping his hand over her mouth, which was his first instinct but he realized he needed that hand for something else in a minute, he tossed one of those fucking stuffed animals at her to cover her mouth with. Then he put those massive hands of his to use, using one forearm to hold her down in place and the other to rub while he enjoyed the best Christmas package he'd ever had.

"Beth" he mumbled around a mouth full of, well, you know what. "Beth, ya the sweetest damn thing I ever got ahold of. Love this pussy Girl."

The nasty talk usually got Beth going and this particular time was no exception. Shane could tell by her breathing pattern and his inability to keep her in place any longer. Beth exploded, coming harder than she probably ever had. Shane lapped up all that loving and quickly shucked his jeans, making sure to grab a condom out of his wallet before throwing his pants across the room.

"I need you. I need you now!" Beth demanded and grabbed at Shane.

"Beth" Shane warned "just a sec Baby." Shane had never, NEVER, fumbled with getting "suited up", but Beth was grabbing and snatching at him and she was all spread out in front of him.

"Fuck it Shane" Beth screamed. "Fuck the condom – I need you. Please Shane" Beth begged.

And really, who was Shane Walsh to deny Beth Greene anything.

 **I've done some research on SWAT teams and the training they go through, not a lot, but some. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction so if there's a little something off in my description of what Shane goes through in any of the upcoming chapters, just relax and enjoy the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any of the TWD characters. I've done a little research about federal agent training that takes place at Quantico, but just keep in mind, this is purely fictional. Just enjoy their journey.

 **Shane's Journey Begins**

Shane or Beth neither one missed the awkward glances everyone in the house were sending their way. They may have been a little louder than usual. Shane thought he would try to shift the vibe in the room.

"Just heard back from something I've been workin on" Shane announced to everyone.

Hershel raised his eyebrow and put his dessert fork down. "Yeh?" Maggie and Glen looked up from where they'd been staring at their plates.

Shane and Beth looked at each other nervously. "Yeh" Shane took a drink from the tall glass of cold milk Maggie had poured for him. "I report for testin on the fourth – physical and psychological." Shane ignored the snort coming from Maggie's end of the table.

Beth was about to burst with pride and a wide smile started to form on Hershel's face. "That's wonderful news Shane. I know you've worked hard to earn this opportunity."

Glen looked confused. "What opportunity Shane? What's going on?"

Beth could no longer hold her silence. "Shane's earned a spot to train for the SWAT team in Savannah, and they're sending a handful of them for federal training. He'll do his training at Quantico in Virginia!"

"Shane, are you serious?" Glen asked.

"Wow" Maggie offered and that's about all she could say. "Wow" she stated again.

Shane beamed. "Yeh, I hate knowin that Beth is gonna be on her own for so long, but we've talked and talked about it. I think we're both up for it. She can throw herself into school and I can focus on my trainin. By spring, we should 'bout have this thing licked."

"Shane's worked really hard for this spot" Beth added. "I am so proud of him. I can handle things on my own – it'll be fine."

Everyone offered heartfelt congratulations and well wishes, but Maggie was nervous – very, very nervous. Beth had just come off a rough semester. The big sister in Maggie was shifting into overdrive and she was rightfully worried if Beth would be able to handle Shane being gone for so long, the school workload, and just life in general.

Maggie and Hershel had a long talk with the both of them. The general feel of the conversation was that they were probably up for a tough road, but that they could do this. Maggie emphasized to Beth that she had to eat and keep healthy. That would most certainly help her manage the stress associated with her classes. Shane told Beth that if they needed to get someone to come and clean once a week they could do that, stating that trying to complete assignments and study in the mess that they'd been living in must be difficult.

That's when Hershel piped up and he was a little more firm with his words – he told the both of them that they needed to buckle down. "You're both adults, you're both pursuing very serious career goals" Hershel told them. "It's time to buck up. Shane, that means work hard, keep your temper in check, and keep that end goal in mind."

"Yes Sir" Shane answered. Shane had really never had a father figure around and he didn't quite know how to respond. Shane figured saying yes sir was probably the safest thing he could do.

"Beth" Hershel then turned his attention to the youngest Greene. "You're going to have to study hard, take responsibility for both your physical and mental wellbeing, and pick up after yourself. You, my sweet daughter, are quite capable of keeping a proper home for you and Shane – no excuses."

"Yes Sir" Beth answered. Beth knew that this was the correct response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane and Beth stayed at the farm Christmas night but left out early Tuesday morning. They both wanted to clean the apartment and catch up with laundry, get to the grocery to stock up on plenty of foods that Beth could fix easily and would eat, and just generally prepare for the journey ahead of them. Shane had quite a bit of paperwork to get completed as well.

They'd pulled up to their apartment complex to a fairly empty parking lot. Shane figured that most people were still out visiting families for the holiday or had returned to work. Beth suggested that some people were probably out taking advantage of the after Christmas sales. Regardless, the parking lot was somewhat deserted, except for a moving van backed and parked right in front of their building.

"Maybe we're getting new neighbors" Beth chirped. Shane grimaced at the thought – he didn't really want to deal with new people right now. "Who in the world moves the day after Christmas?" Beth wondered aloud.

"No idea" Shane answered her. "Probably taking advantage of being off for the holiday I reckon."

Shane and Beth had to make several trips themselves to get all of the gifts and their luggage packed back into the house. On their final trip up the stairs, they ran into the newest neighbors – two guys, both very clean cut and pretty close to Shane's age. They were moving into the apartment directly across from them. Once inside their own apartment, Beth mentioned to Shane that one of them looked familiar to her.

"Really?" Shane asked. "He's probably just got one of them faces."

"One of those faces?" Beth asked curiously. "What's one of those faces?"

"Ya know" Shane laughed. "One of them faces that just kinda blends in with the crowd – friendly, not intimidating. People are comfortable around them – makes ya think ya know him from somewhere."

"Come on" Beth told Shane. "Let's just go over there, introduce ourselves, and maybe I'll figure it out."

"Oh, Beth" Shane whined "I don't wanna go over there. We just got home – got shit strewn all over the place."

Beth wasn't even listening. She'd snatched up a bottle of wine, stuffed it into a Christmas gift bag that they'd just hauled in, and already had the door open and Shane tagged along behind her, reluctantly so, but he followed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not that Beth was one to rub things in when she was right, but Shane knew she wasn't going to let him live this down anytime soon. Beth was correct. She did know one of the guys – he was attending classes at the same school Beth was, pursuing the same degree that Beth was, and had just survived a semester as hellacious as Beth's. His name was Aaron and Eric was his boyfriend, significant other, husband – hell whatever they called it, they seemed pretty solid. Beth felt at ease with them immediately and surprisingly, so did Shane.

Shane had never been one to share much information with people he'd known forever, much less two guys that he'd just met. However, over a pizza that Shane had ordered to welcome them to the neighborhood he revealed to them that he would be gone for an extended amount of time for some training. Both guys were equally impressed but that's not why Shane shared that information with them.

"I's kinda hopin ya'll could help keep an eye out for Beth" Shane said quietly when Beth had excused herself to go to the restroom.

"Of course" Aaron told him. "That's no problem – we'll probably be seeing more of each other this semester.

It was at this point, Shane didn't know what came over him, when he told them Beth could be pretty emotional. He was worried that she wouldn't eat properly, or be able to handle all of the household responsibilities herself. Shane was really working himself up into a full-fledged come apart just thinking about his quickly approaching departure.

"Shane" Eric placed a hand on his shoulder. "No one can get any more emotional than that guy right there" he nodded to Aaron and chuckled. "November just about put us under – and then"

Shane interrupted, "What about finals week? I started sleepin with one eye open – I's sure she'd slit my throat in the night just from the sheer stress she was under." The two of them were laughing and carrying on so.

"You are exaggerating Eric" Aaron told both men, an exasperated look on his face. "I handled it just fine."

Beth came back into the room. "What's so funny?" she asked

"They're laughing at our expense I'm afraid" Aaron told her.

Beth put her hands on her hips. "Oh, they are, are they?"

"Making light of the stress we were under last semester" Aaron further explained.

Shane figured he'd better try and save his own ass – Eric was on his own. "Now, Baby" he went into smooth operator mode "we're just playin. We know ya'lls really under a lot of stress. But, damn, I'm gonna have to be honest – ya scared the shit outta me on a daily basis. Never knew if you's gonna be the one I got called out on."

Beth had started tapping her foot now as she listened to Shane. Boy, he was really laying it on thick for their new friends. Shane looked at Eric whose eyes were as big as half dollars at that point. "Yeh, ya know how ya hear 'bout some woman that's finally lost her shit and gone crazy in the Kroger parkin lot or something? Throwin canned goods and cussin at innocent passersby?"

Eric let out a strangled laugh, but quickly slapped his hand over his mouth in an effort to shut himself up.

"Ya know the ones" Shane kept on "two women get into over a shoppin cart or something and one of em snaps? I's afraid my Beth Anne would be the one to snap."

Well, now all of them were laughing – even Beth and Aaron. "I wasn't that bad" Beth tried to defend herself. "At all. Shane, you're stretching the truth." In her own head though, Beth knew he wasn't – she really did think about just having a public breakdown for the sheer emotional release.

Eric thought he'd join in on the ribbing. "Aaron developed this nervous tick" he stage whispered. "Started around Halloween and has just now subsided. His left eye" Eric pointed and gently touched the area under Aaron's left eye. "His left eye twitched continuously. I thought he's going to have to go get medicated." Aaron swatted Eric's hand away.

The two couples finished their pizza and enjoyed more light hearted conversation. Beth helped Eric start unpacking the bathroom and bedroom boxes while Shane and Aaron attempted the assembling of the entertainment center.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three weeks. It would be three weeks before Shane could come home for a visit and that would just be for the weekend. Shane's jeep was loaded with everything he would need to see him through the next twenty weeks. He'd packed light, only taking his toiletries, laptop, cell phone and the chargers, his clothing for after training hours. They'd provide clothing for in class and field hours and he also planned on hitting a Wal Mart or something of that nature when he got settled. There just wasn't any sense in trying to cram everything he might need into his small vehicle.

There were some tears out in the parking lot as they said their goodbyes. Eric watched from the upstairs balcony. Aaron kept telling him to get in the apartment so that they could have some privacy. Eric sniped back that they were completely unaware that he was watching so they did have privacy.

"Love ya Girl" Shane mumbled in her ear as they stood in between his and her's vehicles. "Love ya so much."

Beth was sniffling and trying to hold it together until Shane was well on his way. She certainly didn't want him worrying about her. He was going to have enough to deal with without having to wonder if she was okay or not.

"I love you Shane" she whispered back. "I'm gonna be fine now. Don't ya worry 'bout me. You just take care of yourself. Get your studies under control. I'm not a bit worried about the physical part."

Shane appeared nervous as he bit his lip.

"Shane, I'm so proud of you."And she was. She really was.

"Ya better save that until I make it through all the trainin. And the classwork especially" Shane told her and pulled her chin up so that he could kiss her again.

"There's not a doubt in my mind that you're gonna make it" Beth assured him. Kissing him again passionately, Shane thought his legs may give out. He also realized that if he didn't go on and get on his way, that he might just change his mind.

"Baby" he said. "I gotta go."

"I know" Beth replied. "I know. Call me when ya can."

"I will Baby. I'll text when I get there" Shane told her. "I love you."

"Love you!" Beth yelled back. Shane was starting the jeep.

Beth watched Shane's jeep until it turned at the end of the street. He turned left to head north. She watched until she could no longer see the taillights. Beth stood in the parking lot, not moving, just staring at the stop sign where she'd last seen Shane. There was a chill in the air and a fine mist had started to fall.

"Beth" Eric spoke quietly. Beth had no idea how long he'd been standing there. She didn't respond. "Beth" he said again. "Let's go in Hun – kinda nasty out here. I'll fix you some tea. Would you like that?"

"Yeh" Beth responded. She turned to walk into the apartment building with one of her newest friends. Eric took her by the hand to hurry her along a bit as the wind was picking up.

"Three weeks is gonna fly by" Eric told her and he snapped his fingers. "Just like that – it'll be here before you know it."

"Yeh" Beth said.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own any of the TWD characters.

 **Home for the Weekend**

It had been two weeks – one week to go before Shane could come home for the weekend. Beth had been looking forward to his homecoming every day. It wasn't that she couldn't function without Shane – it wasn't that at all. As a matter of fact, after the first several days Beth began to get into a groove and was managing things really well. Classes for the semester had begun. She was taking great notes, being super organized, eating well, picking up after herself – everything that Maggie and her Dad had advised and deep down, Beth knew that it was the right thing to do.

However, about three or four days into classes Beth started having some tummy troubles – it came and went. It usually hit her in the evening after supper. It was like anything she ate just didn't agree with her. Beth thought it to be some kind of weird stomach bug and she was certain Aaron and Eric would be down with it eventually as well and she felt guilty as hell for having exposed them to something so nasty. The thing was, though, neither of the guys ever got sick – just Beth. One night as she was getting ready for bed, it occurred to Beth that the most likely reason they'd not gotten sick yet was because they were men and unable to become PREGNANT. Beth ran to take a look at her calendar and sure enough, she'd already missed one period. Life had been so crazy lately, she hadn't even thought about it at the time.

"Oh Dear Lord" Beth muttered to herself, "Shane's gonna shit." There was no sleep to be had that night as she mulled over the implications of her realization. Of course, she and Shane had discussed long term plans and having a family. They both wanted that, but _Oh My God_ Beth breathed to herself. She flopped over in the bed and covered her head with the comforter. "What the hell are we gonna do?" Beth peeked out from the bedding and asked the ceiling. "No sense in getting bent outta shape before absolutely necessary" Beth calmly stated. The girl was trying to talk her own self off the ledge because there was no one to turn to at the moment – she sure as hell wasn't going to call Maggie with this information quite yet.

The next morning Beth had a bowl of her favorite cereal, rinsed her dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. She grabbed her things for school and the sandwich she'd made the night before for her lunch. The last item Beth grabbed before walking out the door was a little bit of extra cash – she was going to have to stop by a drugstore on the way home that afternoon. If Beth were "in the family way", and Beth cringed just thinking about the very real possibility, she was going to have to discuss this with Shane. This weekend. There would be no getting around it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beth had declined dinner with the guys that evening.

"It's grilled salmon Beth" Aaron smiled and reminded her "it's your favorite."

"I know" Beth hedged "but, I really need to straighten our bedroom and clean the bathroom tonight. Shane'll be home soon and I want him to see what a good job I've been doing with the housekeeping."

Aaron and Eric thought it a little strange since the three of them had eaten together every night since Shane left. They did it not only to make sure Beth was eating, but the trio had discovered that they truly enjoyed each other's company. Eric was home from work before the pharmacy students made it home from their daily lab and classes, so he usually had something incredible simmering away on the stove. Plus, no one would deny that he was the best cook among them.

"Ya want me to fix you a plate?" Eric asked Beth. "You can at least have a decent meal before you get started on cleaning your bedroom." Eric rolled his eyes at Aaron. Cleaning her bedroom – who did Beth think she was kidding?

Now, Beth wasn't stupid that was for sure. Beth knew she wanted to pee on that stick and then, if it indicated positive like she was fairly certain it was going to, Beth was going to need some alone time to figure out how to break this news to Shane when he came home in two short days. On the other hand, Beth also knew that she needed to eat supper. Weighing her options across the hall at her own apartment – bologna on saltines or another bowl of cheerios. She definitely wanted the home cooked meal straight out of the pages of a Southern Living magazine.

"Sure Eric" Beth smiled tiredly at her friend. "That would be so great. Thank you."

Eric smiled back at Beth as he pulled a plate out of the cabinet. Scooping some roasted asparagus onto the plate he gently requested, "Now, don't forget where ya got this plate."

"I'll bring your plate back" Beth replied and swatted gently at the chief. "Want me to fill it with homemade cookies first? Momma said to never return a dish to someone empty."

"Uh, no" Eric snorted. He'd seen her attempt at homemade cookies once – looked more like fricken hockey pucks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Beth loved Fridays for lots of reasons. One, there was usually always at least a couple of professors that gave weekly quizzes on this day and Beth loved acing a quiz. Two, she finished classes early on Friday and there were no labs either – she was always home by 2:00 each Friday afternoon. And three, today was the day Shane would be home for the weekend. Beth could hardly wait to see him. She'd missed him terribly. At the same time, Beth had to admit that this weekend was probably not going to go the way anyone had planned.

Walking into their apartment Beth couldn't help but be impressed. She'd cleaned very thoroughly the previous two nights. Their home was neat and tidy and it even smelled good. It smelled fresh and clean and she had supper going in the crock pot. Eric had come over the night before and walked her through a slow cooker recipe step by step. All she had to do was plug the cooker up, put the crock in, and set it on low. The cooker had worked it's magic all day while she'd been at school.

Eric had also taught Beth how to make what was called a brown sugar pie – a very simple recipe. He even stayed while it baked so that Beth wouldn't let it burn. Before serving the pie, all Beth had to do was warm a slice in the microwave for about fifteen seconds and put a dollop (she didn't really know what a dollop was, but that's what Eric told her) of whipped cream on top. She'd picked up a loaf of sour dough bread from the Amish market down the road and her salad game had improved tenfold.

Beth hung her jacket up, dropped her school bags in the spare bedroom turned study room, and jumped into a hot bath. Shane would be home in less than two hours – he'd texted her when he left Virginia earlier in the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shane thought maybe he'd stepped into the wrong apartment. There was some clanging around coming from the kitchen – maybe someone digging around in the silverware drawer, then opening and closing of the fridge.

"Beth" Shane called out. "Baby, I'm home!" When Beth rounded the corner, Shane's weekend bag dropped to the floor as he prepared to catch the blur of blonde headed his way. Beth jumped and thankfully Shane caught her. With legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck, they both staggered to the couch. Neither could speak. Beth was crying happy tears and even if he'd never admit it, Shane was too.

"I've missed you so much Shane" Beth was talking about a hundred miles an hour. "So, so much. I didn't think I could make it without you. The first couple of days were just God awful."

"I know Baby" Shane tried to comfort her. "I know – I missed you too."

A bright smile broke out on Beth's face. "But, after that third day I just told myself to suck it up Buttercup." Shane snorted at that because he'd heard Maggie a couple of times tell Beth that very thing.

"And did you suck it up?" Shane asked.

Beth was just beaming. "I did" she exclaimed. "I threw myself into my studies, I hung out with the guys across the hall, and I learned to cook a few things." She waggled her eyebrows at Shane.

Shane had been giving Beth little sweet kisses in between pieces of information that she'd been sharing.

"You did?" Shane asked. "What'd ya learn to cook 'cause I ain't gonna lie, something smells amazin!"

"Oh, you just wait" Beth hopped up from the couch and pulled Shane with her to the dining area. "I think you're really gonna like it."

"I figured we'd just order pizza tonight Baby" Shane told her.

Beth shook her head, "Nope, not tonight, because my man needs a home cooked meal." Beth gestured for Shane to sit down. "I want you to tell me all about the academy. How are things goin? Are they mean? Are you makin it okay? How are your classes?" Beth fired questions at Shane rapidly.

"I'll tell ya all 'bout it over supper" Shane held his hands up in mock surrender. Shane took in the table before him. Beth had drinks, salad, and bread already on the table. He picked up his glass to take a swig. "Mmm, lemonade" Shane smiled.

"Country Time" Beth admitted proudly. "Surprisingly easy – just follow the directions." Beth just smiled at him and Shane resisted the urge to laugh.

Shane and Beth ate their salad, with the really good dressing by the way – Eric had forbad her from ever buying the stuff in the plastic bottles. Beth hopped up and took the salad plates away and returned with a dish of steaming rice with lots of colorful veggies in it.

"What's this?" Shane asked. Shane had to admit, he was very impressed. "Looks really good!"

"Thank you" Beth smiled. "It's stuffed pepper casserole." Shane just stared at his beautiful women. "Ya know, like stuffed peppers but without a lot of the work. It's got spicy sausage, rice, corn, black eyed peas, and peppers. I hope you like it – Eric helped me put it all together last night."

Shane had a heaping forkful of the concoction and was blowing on it to try and cool it off. "Beth, I hope ya didn't stay up real late tryin to put all this together."

"I didn't Shane" Beth told him. "I've been doin a good job of budgetin my time and we all ate over here last night so I could have a cookin lesson. I get one of those about once a week."

"You do, huh?" Shane didn't hold back his laugh before shoving that first bite in. "Mmmmm, Beth. This is really good Baby. Shit, spicy though, good."

The two love birds ate their meal and had the best conversation. Shane filled her in on everything he'd learned so far and how tough the training actually was. He was really fired up over it all and Beth was so very proud and happy for him. Finally, they reached a lull in the conversation.

"Ya didn't eat much Beth" Shane observed.

"It was a little spicier than I thought it would be" Beth admitted and without even thinking she rubbed her tummy. Quickly realizing what she'd done Beth added, "I'm saving room for dessert."

"There's dessert?" Shane had his classic smirk on his face now.

"It's in the oven" Beth told Shane. "Do you mind to go get it?" Beth maintained a straight face. The dessert was most definitely NOT in the oven. It was out on the kitchen counter, but this is how she'd planned on breaking the news.

"Sure Babe" Shane stood up and kissed the top of Beth's head. "Be right back with it."

Beth sat stock still in her chair as she listened to Shane's heavy footsteps enter the kitchen. The creak of the oven door told her she only had a few seconds more to wait for Shane's reaction.

"Babe" Shane hollered into the dining area.

"Yeh?" Beth asked.

"There ain't no dessert in the oven" Shane yelled back.

Beth gritted her teeth. "Oh Lord" she said quietly. "Really?" she asked innocently. "Well, what's in the oven?"

"Hell if I know" Shane answered "some kind of bread."

Now Beth rolled her eyes, but decided she'd have to ride this out. "What kind of bread?" Beth asked.

"Looks like a bun or something" Shane answered.

"Oh, a bun?" Beth asked with a snort. "Ya mean there's a bun in the oven?"

It still hadn't registered. "Yeh, looks like there's a bun in the oven" Shane repeated back to her.

 _Wait for it_ Beth told herself. _Three, two,_

"Fuck" Shane muttered to himself.


End file.
